


Grimm Reaper

by hedgiebelle



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Portland Oregon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-12-15
Packaged: 2018-04-07 09:19:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4257903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedgiebelle/pseuds/hedgiebelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new girl in Portland, a very human girl. It's not long until she's ensnared in the doings of a specific police detective, who may just be what she needs to finally understand the darkness always there, always watching.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Goat Kid

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there, everyone! hedgiebelle here. This is my second work on ao3 "Grimm Reaper" that you also may recognize from fanfiction.net so I'll upload all of this on here for today, hopefully!
> 
> Check out the tumblr for this story that I just set up at grimmreaperfic.tumblr.net
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

1.

Chase had been having a bad day even before the kid sitting behind her turned into a goat. The woman next to him—who she had assumed to be his mother—simply glanced over and buried her head in her hands as if this were a normal occurrence back home.

A quick once-over of the passengers around Chase confirmed that none were looking in the direction of the child whose mother was now pleading with to look normal again. It’s funny how normal people usually never saw anything unless they wanted to, even though the child had purposefully _woged_ so the entire plane could see him for some reason.

There was no sign of the child’s father, no surprise since _ziegevolk_ always tended to breed and leave, though careful not to draw too much attention to themselves as they bounced from victim to victim. It made them hard to track. Chase pitied the mother and wondered when the child had first turned into the human-goat hybrid she was now used too. Maybe she caught him eating the furniture or something, or he learned to bleat instead of speak.

The chime of the fasten seatbelts alert of the plane caused Chase turn around and return her gaze to the window outside. The sun was just coming up; streaks of yellow, red, and purple streaming from the East, almost directly behind the plane as it headed towards Portland, Oregon.

The African-American in the seat directly next to Chase immediately tensed when the pilot came on the intercom, asking everybody to stay in their seats while they experienced a small bit of light turbulence. If by light the pilot meant the same alternating jolts and weightlessness which was causing the overhead lights to flicker, then yes, Chase could try to ignore it easily. Ignoring her bladder, however, was not so easy. Perhaps she should’ve laid off the complementary drinks.

“How are you not freaking out?” The woman next to her whispered.

Chase noticed that her hands were shaking intensely and with every bounce of her curls, her eyes seemed to roll around in her head.

“I have more important things to worry about. Such as the vacant bathroom sign and the constricting seatbelt sign, it’s all so contradictory.” Chase said, causing her travel buddy to chuckle half-heartedly.

Not to mention that Chase hadn’t gotten any sleep the past few nights, with nightmares plaguing her whenever she’d attempt to close her eyes. Then the situation back in Detroit had gotten, well, messy, so she’d had to pack up in a moment’s notice and book the next available plane ticket.

“I’m Alecia” the girl spoke again, trying her hardest to keep a pleasant smile on her face.

Chase went to shake it, but another shake of the plane caused Alecia to take back the hand and squeeze the armrest as if it was her lifeline.

“Chase. And I’ve been on too many planes to think I’m going to die as soon as another one takes off.”

Alecia swallowed. Chase gave her a quick once-over. She was pretty with minimal make-up and a few bags under her eyes, probably the result of getting up to catch this plane this morning. Her nose was slightly crooked and Chase could see the bare outlines of a scar to show it’s been fractured. Now that her sleeve had ridden up a bit, Chase glimpsed the dark discoloration of a bruise and her hair had some traces of grey near the roots though Alecia couldn’t have been more than thirty.

“Why are you going to Portland?” Alecia asked.

“There was some stuff I needed to get away from, nothing major, but enough that I’m relieved to be out of there.” Chase answered.

“Same, I mean, just some marital problems.” She shrugged as if to be nonchalant but subconsciously started rubbing her left ring finger.

Chase noticed there was not ring, just a slightly paler strip of skin to show where one had been. Her suspicions were confirmed. Not marital problems, just down-right abuse. Chase wouldn’t be so cruel so as to say anything though.

“Are you staying in Portland?” Chase felt now that she needed to keep the silence at bay.

Alecia sighed. “I’m not sure. I think I’ll stay around just to get my bearings, maybe in a hotel or something. Then I’ll decide if I should find something more permanent or…or if I should go back.”

Then she asked about Chase. The truth is she hadn’t really wanted to stay at first, just get another ticket and actually decide on a destination without desperation. However, she wasn’t sure she could get another ticket so soon because of how much the clean-up in Detroit had cost her. The account wouldn’t be refilled until the first of the month, which was a week away. For now, Chase needed to find a nice hotel and chill for a while.

Of course, curiosity had also gotten the best of her. Chase couldn’t help but look up some of the available homes around Portland. She had a few addresses written down…just in case she liked it…which she probably wouldn’t.

Once again the pilot’s intercom came on, telling everyone that they were beginning their descent into Portland National Airport, and to stay in their seats. Great, Chase thought. The bathroom will have to wait until landing.

Alecia quickly took out a piece of paper and scribbled down ten digits. “My number. Let’s grab a coffee or something so we’re not totally alone.” She smiled. Chase forced a smile, it’s too bad that alone was exactly how she preferred to start over in a new place, and gave Alecia her own number, too, just to be polite.

Landed, Chase had to help Alecia with her carry-on suitcase after picking up her backpack, the only luggage she brought on this trip.

Chase stood outside one of the many offices around the airport below a sign saying _Oversized and Delicate Baggage Claim_. She was starting to get anxious, bouncing her leg as one of her many nervous ticks and occasionally checking her brand-new phone out of boredom. She knew no one would contact her, and she had no social networking accounts to trace her, so she really didn’t know why.

As soon as she was putting her phone back in her pocket for the… _eighth_ time, Chase heard a familiar low growl from behind her. Turning, she saw an apprehensive airport employee rolling over a crate on a cart. The growling turned from growling to whimpering, and Chase could hear the sound of scratching inside the crate, presumably because the creature caught her scent.

“Lukas!” A smile broke out on Chase’s face, and she almost shoved the employee aside in order to get to the cart. She quickly placed a tip in his limp hand and raced outside, speaking to the animal all the way.

Lukas was a unique dog, the mix between a wolf and malamute known as a Wolamute who was fiercely loyal and specifically bred to sniff out Wesen. He was originally given to her as a puppy by her old foster parents to help her on hunts, but she quickly befriended the fuzz ball as well.

One thing Chase didn’t anticipate was how reluctant taxi cab drivers were to pick up a strange girl and her dog. She’d been standing outside with Lukas on his chain leash and the light mist being illuminated by the sunlight for half an hour. She might not have complained, but when she called the hotel she said she’d be there at two, and it was already one-forty.

Finally, a yellow SUV cab squealed to a stop next to her. In big block letters, the words _RADIO CAB_ were printed along the sides. Instantly, Chase hopped in the cab with Lukas not too far behind. She shook out her short brown hair and looked up to the man who stopped for them. Just your average cab driver, he was balding and wore glasses. An ID attached to the mirror in front of him said _MEET ALBERT W._

“Thanks, Albert” she said.

“No prob, but call me Al, where can I take you today, miss?” He asked. Chase disregarded the fact that an older man had used the word “prob” and handed him the sheet which had the address of her hotel on it. He squinted his eyes to read it. “Riverplace, eh? You sure you can…afford that?”

Chase smiled coolly, though she was used to people underestimating her, “yes. I’m sure. I can afford the cab ride too, if you’d just drive.” With that he took off, only looking behind him in the rearview mirror suspiciously every two blocks or so.

A _Proudly serving Portland since 1946_ plaque was attached to the seat in front of her. Lukas became tired of looking out the window and laid his head in her lap, giving her the excuse to pat his head until they reached their destination. As promised, she paid the cabbie, and thanked him kindly for keeping it shut for the trip, though in more civil words. Their room number was 226, and on the way up after checking in, Lukas made a point to growl at the cute bellhop in the lobby. Chase sighed, always the cute ones.

She was almost reluctant to look in the mirror, knowing what she’d see. Mussed up hair, cloudy black eyeliner, deep bags under her bloodshot dark eyes, just the picture of perfection. Chase also knew that she really needed a shower to wash off the last remnants of Detroit. However, all she was capable of in that moment was falling asleep on top of the crisp bed sheets.

Breakfast proved uneventful. Sipping her tea, Chase looked at the housing market for the Portland area on a new laptop, going over the few addresses that she had already written down. The only problem that occurred with having such a big canine companion as Lukas was not being able to get an apartment. Sure, plenty of buildings allowed their tenants to have pets, but she couldn’t do that to him, he loved big backyards.

So far Chase found three houses that seemed suitable, and she was waiting for the text from another _RADIO CAB_ driver to alert that they’d be there since she called almost half an hour ago. She definitely thought that having her own car would be useful.

“650 North Alberta Street, please” she spoke to the driver. He didn’t say anything, just lowered the fare counter and sped off leaving Chase to look out the window as they drove north.

The house looked sad. With a drooping porch and faded tan walls, Chase grimaced, realizing she’d driven all that way for nothing. An old fashioned smoke-stained chimney stood tall and straight, but that was about it. It’s not like she could live in a chimney. Chase left.

If the driver was surprised that she’d hopped right back in his cab, he didn’t show it. Chase simply spoke again, “8034 South-East Taylor Court.”

Chase grimaced at the color, but decided that this time she’d actually walk in the house. She did. The realtor assigned to the house approached her, asking if she was here for the open house. She answered that she was, but she’d like to explore a bit on her own. Realtor “Maxine” obliged.

Chase started upstairs and worked her way down. So far, nothing had caught her eye. The master-bedroom was average, the bathrooms were average (though the shower looked like it’s been made for a little person, she’d have to bend down to use it), and the kitchen had very old, very cheap appliances.

One thing that did catch her eye, however, was the living room. An entire wall of windows could open up to the overgrown backyard. If the sun set in precisely the right way, Chas was sure that beautiful shades of blue and orange would light up the room. It was open, and almost made Chase ignore the shoddy color and tiny shower to accept the realtor’s offer right away. Chase _was_ a creature of impulse, but she had to explore the rest.

Finally was the basement, Chase realized that it was unfinished as the fine hardwood turned to concrete on the stairs. Then she got the chills, something was watching her. Chase turned in a circle, trying to pinpoint exactly what was causing the fine hairs on the back of her neck to rise, but all she caught a glimpse of was the peeling wallpaper off to one side. Wallpaper with…something red beneath it? She started to reach out, but a hand on her shoulder had her spinning, raising her arms in self-defense.

“Maxine?” Chase dropped her fists. The realtor didn’t seem to notice that she was about to pummel her. In fact, her thin face lit up, looking Chase up and down.

“So? How do you like it? I’ve been trying to sell for months! Not that there’s anything wrong! We’ve gotten a few offers, I assure you, I can tell you some things about the house if you’re on the edge, it’s so full of…history!” Maxine’s smile widened. Chase really wasn’t on the edge anymore, and she wasn’t really interested. The house was now just giving her the creeps.

“What do you mean history? Something I should know?” Chase crossed her arms.

“Of course not, dear! But have you seen the office? Perfect for whatever…business you’re in!” Maxine looked her up and down. Chase looked down, too. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a hoodie with the faded mascot of a rearing mustang from back when she lived in Colorado. No wonder, since the town had been overrun with _Nuckelavee_ , a horse-type _Wesen._

In her silence, Chase noticed Maxine gave her another once-over, but her face was very stiff. With a jolt Chase realized that the realtor must be _Wesen._ She could recognize the look of a _woge_ from anywhere. So what was Maxine? Possibly a _Luisant-Pecheur_ , or maybe a _Reinigen._ Yeah, she looked a bit like a rat.

Still, Chase stayed silent. After a standoff lasting about twenty seconds, Maxine spoke again, her face back to normal. “Well, there was that little issue with the previous owners-”

“-and there we have it.” Chase interrupted.

Maxine cleared her throat, “just a bit of homicide. Down here, in the basement.”

“Let me guess; the tacky wallpaper is covering up something.” At Maxine’s glare, Chase concluded, “Yeah, I’m gonna go. I hope you sell this place soon.” She said for more Maxine’s sake than hers. Chase wasn’t sure if ghosts could be on the list of supernatural creatures to look out for, but she really didn’t want to find out. Though if the shivers she got from this place were any hint, she’d guess that was a yes.

Even the cab driver jumped a bit when she ducked back in the seat. He looked thankful to drive off, too.

“404 South-West Hamilton Street” she said. Her voice cracked with exhaustion and she leaned back, trying to reverse the headache she could feel was on its way.

Chase realized with a start that she must have fallen asleep in the cab. The driver was staring at her expectantly. She briefly wondered if he spoke at all. Anyway, she smiled and got out of the cab like nothing was wrong, though she could feel the exhaustion coming off of her in waves. Jet lag, maybe?

This time, she was about to walk off when the driver, “Cameron” rolled down the passenger side window. “Got another call.” He grunted. Chase just dug her card out of her wallet and handed it to him. Once again, he surprised her by speaking. “The next door neighbor was a suspect in a murder investigation a while ago. Just saying.” Then he nodded and sped off without another word. Wow, he’d given her almost two sentences.

Chase looked over at the house next door. It was smaller than 404, but it looked cozy. A light blue color with some nicely-kept shrubbery. She shrugged, it looked alright, and she could take care of herself. With a deep breath, she walked up to the for-sale house and knocked twice.

A single pair of footsteps could be heard inside. It had more substance than that of a female, so Chase simply assumed whoever was going to greet her was male. She heard the locks being slid back to open the door—three of them actually—and only briefly wondered if someone might be a little paranoid before the door opened.

Shaggy blond hair and grey eyes met her gaze after quickly giving her a look. The man had to look down at her because he was _very_ tall, but Chase couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy the view. He smiled really wide, almost as if greeting an old friend, and his teeth were extremely white. Ever heard the saying “blinded by a smile?” Yeah, this was like that.

“Hi, I’m Chase, er, interested in the open house?” she said. Chase hated the way her words took a questioning lilt to them at the end of her sentence.

The man held out his hand. “Arthur Davis. Nice to meet you, I’m the seller.” Chase shook, and the grip on her hand turned his knuckles white. Chase wondered if this guy was aware of his own strength. However, he didn’t look like much, wearing faded blue jeans and a button-down grey shirt. It matched his eyes.

“So no crabby realtors to deal with?” She asked.

“None at all,” Arthur laughed. “Bought her myself a few months ago. Man, was she a wreck. I flip houses for a living, turning them into something special.” Arthur winked. Chase smiled, but didn’t hesitate to brush past him into the house. Flirting was _not_ on the agenda.

The house felt open. Windows were streaming in light from the afternoon and the light hardwood flooring was pleasing to the eye. It seemed like the theme of the house was wood—lightwood and dark wood fit together almost like a puzzle—with white-washed walls around her. The house was fully furnished, and she suspected that Arthur was selling the furniture, too. He had good taste, she’d admit, though a few changes were in order. That is _if_ she were to commit.

It was all looking pretty god though. There were four bedrooms with three baths and an unfinished basement. However, this one didn’t scare her like the last one, it felt warm. Four beds was a bit much, maybe she could turn one into an exercise room or an office if she found a job soon.

By job, she meant Wesen hunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it, tune in for the next chapters!


	2. Meet the Neighbors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

2.

Lukas watched her from the hotel bed as she paced back and forth on the phone. Chase was speaking to Arthur, who had gotten her number when she told him she was interested in buying the house. He hadn’t even looked her up and down, wondering if she could actually afford this place. That being said, she still didn’t ask how much it was going for.

“Yes, it’s Chase.” She said into the microphone.

“We could meet up and take care of all that.” Chase spoke again after listening to him speak on the other line.

“…sure.” She rolled her eyes this time and started pacing the other way.

Chase glanced at her watch. “11:00 sounds great, I’ll see you then. Thanks Mr. Davis.”

“Alright, thanks _Arthur._ ” She enunciated. Chase hung up the phone and placed it in her pocket. She then turned to Lukas who lifted his head. “We’re going to a coffee shop.”

Before closing her laptop, Chase shot a quick email from her new address to her old foster parents;

Arrived in Portland and need some contacts. Looking for work, got any ideas? Also, don’t worry, Detroit is behind me, I’m even thinking of staying here permanently. Thanks for the support.

Love you,

Chase

Twenty minutes later, Chase and Lukas arrived at the Portland Java coffee shop right on the banks of the Willamette River. It was 10:50, so the two were just a bit early. The establishment overlooked a pier with plenty of boats in the harbor on one side, and on the other there was a series of little shops.

That morning, it was sunny and warm, a rarity for the city. Plenty of people were out and enjoying the sun, so the café was fairly crowded.

Chase looked at the signs on the door and then down to Lukas. He whined as if he knew what was coming. She apologized while tying him to a pole outside the door, but he quickly lay down and put his head on his paws in surrender. Chase almost felt bad for leaving him outside the café, but her stomach grumbled in protest and she quickly managed to find a small table inside.

Setting her jacket down on the table to reserve it, and glaring in the way of a young couple who also wanted the table, Chase made her way up to the barista at the counter. The menu above their heads was pretty self-explanatory, though Chase really didn’t see the need for having some words in Italian up there.

“Hi,” Chase barely glanced at the small, mousy teenage girl as she started to take her order. “I’ll have the ham…” But she trailed off at the sound of police sirens outside of the door. En masse, the entire cafe turned to watch three police officers walk in the café. One was African-American, one was dark-haired with a furious expression on his face, and one was Asian in full uniform.

“Adalind Shade!” The Asian man said. When one woman with blond hair in the middle of the café replied, he continued. “Everyone remain calm, stay in your seats. Miss Shade, we’re placing you under arrest, I have to inform you of your rights.”

As he rattled on, Chase focused her attention on the woman’s companion who was sitting up and staring down the furious man. A moment later, Chase watched the company all escort Adalind Shade out of the café with her companion, a red-haired woman, protesting. Lukas lifted his head as the blondie passed him by, and started barking loudly. Chase narrowed her eyes.

Where she came from, all Wesenwere guilty, no matter how good of actors they may be. Chase suddenly wanted to know the story on this Adalind Shade.

Adalind turned toward the large dog barking furiously at her and narrowed her eyes. She swung her face a bit, probably _woging,_ and made enough of an impact on Lukas that he whined and stopped barking at her. Chase suddenly _really_ didn’t like Adalind.

The red-haired woman exchanged a few words with the now-reluctant looking police officer and walked back inside. She brushed shoulders with the Police Captain of the area and they made eye contact. Then, the woman made eye contact with Chase.

Instead of continuing to stare, however, Chase turned back to the poor barista looking terrified before her. The girl, whose nametag read “Sally” stuttered out an apology about how there aren’t usually arrests made in their café. Chase laughed and completed her order.

11:20 rolled around right as Arthur walked in the door. Lukas looked up and growled—lowly but intelligibly after his scare with Adalind—at the man, who just ignored the dog while Chase sighed. Of course. Arthur _had_ to be Wesen _._ He looked around a bit before raising his arm in a hello and making his way over to her.

“Hey, sorry I’m late. There was some traffic. I heard they made an arrest here!” Arthur grinned. Chase looked out at the clear roads and raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing big, just a few cops arresting some girl for something or other.” Chase shrugged. “Anyway, I brought a pen if you brought the papers.”

Arthur smiled widely and plopped a manila folder down on the desk. Chase nodded and pulled it over to her, carefully looking at everything.

“Asking price is $600,000 total, to be paid of intermittently of course. I had an estimate done just after you left yesterday.” Arthur said. Chase refrained from spitting out her tea. Arthur must have noticed her discomfort. “Yeah, I realized that. I guess it’s more because of the recent remods. Tell you what; I’ll rent for $1,500 per month, just for you. Then I can stay in contact as your landlord.”

Chase did the math in her head. That wouldn’t be too bad for her starting budget this month. With only that price, Chase could buy a used car and still have about a hundred for food and such before her account would be refilled. Then, she wouldn’t have to go through the hassles of selling the house if she needed to pick up again.

Chase smiled. “Pleasure doing business with you.” And signed her name in the designated areas. Arthur wanted to stay and chat, but Chase couldn’t think of him as anything else than a Wesenat the moment. He didn’t have any of the telling signs that she could see, so maybe he was something new.

 _Please, please don’t make me have to kill my landlord._ She thought to herself when he handed her the house keys and brushed his fingertips cautiously on the palm of her hand. Chase practically ran out of Portland Java and all the way to Riverplace to check out and pick up her stuff.

Lukas would not stop wagging his tail as Chase unlocked the door. While the dog didn’t have many faults, patience was definitely not one of his virtues. As soon as it was fully opened, he barreled straight through the entry and started exploring. Chase laughed, hoping he wouldn’t break anything, and brought her bag up to the master bedroom.

The queen sized bed was a four-poster, with smooth columns stretching up as far as Chase was tall. The walls were a bare white color, and the sheets were a deep purple. Chase whistled to herself, this was definitely not cheap.

Chase wondered how Arthur was even comfortable renting this place to her for so little. The closet wasn’t a walk in, but it could still hold more clothes than Chase could ever own and the bath had a separate bath and shower along with two sink fixtures and a mirror covering the entire wall.

Suddenly, Chase felt a bit off. This house just seemed too big for her. She walked down the hallway and spotted one room with an actual key-lock. She looked at the key ring given to her by Arthur and realized that what she thought was a spare house key was actually separate in minute detail to the other one. She used the key to open the door.

The room was nothing special. Unlike the rest of the house, it was completely empty. The first time Chase had wandered around she didn’t even notice this room was here, but now she realized it must’ve been one of the spare bedrooms. There was a door leading to some more closet space that Chase could find useful, and she immediately decided to use this room as her office. She could keep weapons and the profiles of her targets here under lock and key. No snooping house guest would find their way in.

Later on in the afternoon, Chase had designated another room to be for exercise, and made a list of everything she would need starting out that Arthur seemingly hadn’t thought about. However, number one on that list was a mode of transportation other than her own two legs and a taxi. She’d either go for a car or a motorcycle; whichever one she’d find first.

Chase finally sat down on her living room couch and opened her laptop. She saw the email notification and clicked on it, though she hadn’t expected a reply so soon;

Chase,

Portland is lovely, we’ve been there once or twice. We also have a few friends in the area, one of them has to have a job for you. Attached is a list of their names and numbers. The items you’ve shipped to us from Detroit arrived, send us your new address and they’ll be on their way to you soon.

Chase smiled. In her haste to leave Detroit she had worried that her other possessions wouldn’t find their way to her foster parents. However, they got there just on time. Namely, the boxes included her books, DVDs, and weapons. Quickly, Chase typed a reply.

Thanks a lot, I’m sure I can find work now. Also, the address is 404 SW Hamilton St, Portland, OR 97239. By the way, I had to get a new phone with a new number, so don’t attempt calling the old one.

Love,

Chase

After pressing send, Chase closed her laptop and looked outside. It was mid-afternoon and fairly warm out. She felt almost lethargic on the couch and stood up.

“I can’t be getting out of shape, now can I?” She asked herself. Changing into her running gear, Chase called for Lukas. At first, he didn’t come, but as soon as Chase mentioned a run, he practically flew down the stairs and over to the door leaving a trail of fur in his wake. Chase laughed, used to the coat of dog hair over everything she owned.

When they made their way outside and Chase was locking the door, she heard someone shout, “Hey!” over to her right. Both girl and dog looked over to see a man in working boots and a tan coat raise his arm in a wave and make his way across the yard towards them. Chase noticed nothing special about him; he had brown hair and eyes and towered over her. However, that wasn’t exactly an accomplishment.

Lukas, however, started barking. The man was still smiling as he looked down at the dog curiously. Chase silently placed her hand on Lukas’ head, which was the signal for him to basically chill. The man laughed.

“Well trained pooch, you got there.” He said, pointing at Lukas. The dog looked up at Chase, almost as if he was offended by the word pooch.

Chase shrugged. Apparently the man realized that was not the way to start a conversation with Chase and so he backtracked. “Hey there, I’m Monroe, looks like we’re neighbors now.” He held out his hand.

Chase exhaled but took the hand, wondering what kind of monster Monroe could be. Her previous taxi driver said he was once a murder suspect. She wanted to scoff, how had Portland become so overrun with Wesen? It was like an infestation. Chase was determined to act as an exterminator, at least for the time being.

“Looks like it.” Chase said. “How long have you been here, exactly?”

Monroe puzzled for a moment. “Since I ‘left the den’ you could say.” He chuckled to himself. Chase managed a smile. He seemed friendly for the most part, but then, most Wesen were good at fitting in and hiding among the unsuspecting people.

“And you like it here?” Chase asked. Monroe simply nodded, he took a long breath through his nose.

“Oh yeah, it’s beautiful, friendly, and very clean.” He smiled wider this time, as if he had made a joke to himself that Chase couldn’t understand. This time, she only nodded.

Then there was an awkward silence for a few seconds before a phone started buzzing. Chase had left hers inside, and the man stood there for a few seconds before jolting himself a bit, making Chase jump, and answering the phone.

“Hey Nick!” He said cheerfully and then dropped the phone a bit. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this, nice meeting you.” And then he walked off.

“Yeah, you too.” Chase murmured, and then started jogging off with Lukas. Chase decided to just cut across the street into the very visible path leading into the woods.  She was pretty amazed at how green it was here. Detroit, of course, had been concrete and glass buildings, an urban jungle as it were. Even Denver was located near the mountains with pine trees, but it was nothing at all like this.

The path was well-used, Chase could tell after she stopped having to look down in order to place her feet around rocks and such. Through the trees, Chase could see some light streaming down from above, though the shaded atmosphere felt great as she ran. She felt as if she could go on forever; Lukas certainly could. After a few moments he stopped attempting to pull ahead and explore on his own and simply matched Chase’s pace.

While she ran, Chase noticed how muted the forest seemed. Bird songs would echo, mists would be disturbed as they ran through them, and the greenery cast an almost surreal feeling on the world. The girl could definitely get used to this.

After a while, Chase and Lukas emerged out of the greenery on the path near a small lake. Chase was going to keep running, maybe a lap around the lake then back to the house, but Lukas crouched low and started growling. When she realized what was going on, she started crouching as well.

The lake shone gray, with only a small breeze disturbing the surface of the water. Across from where the path let out, Chase saw a small boat house and dock, complete with a rowboat tied to a peg. From what she could tell, a man and a woman stood on the small, wooden dock. He was walking away from her, and she was furiously waving her arms behind him.

Lukas started to growl a bit louder, so Chase put a hand on his head and he quieted instantly. She didn’t want to be detected, even from so far away. When she turned back to the scene before her, Chase saw that the two were now facing each other at the end of the dock. Both were yelling—she could hear their voices from where she lay—but could not make out what they were saying.

The woman was tall, almost as tall as the man, with dark hair pulled back tightly and a large sunhat on her head. The man had blond hair and was wearing a green shirt and jeans. He was barefoot, and then turned away from the woman. Now, she seemed to be pleading with him.

In another instant, the man turned away from her and looked into the water. His toes were hanging over the edge of the dock. One push, and he’d go flying in. As the woman started to pull him back towards her with his shirt, he simply stripped it off, letting her take it.

 _Wait, what?_ Chase was confused. Was he actually going to jump in the water? Sure, it was a fairly warm day, but the water still must’ve been freezing.

The man and woman shuddered, and Lukas growled once more. They must have _woged_. Chase could barely see a grey tinge traveling up the man’s muscled body from the waistline of his pants. Once more, the woman tried to grab his arm to stop him but he threw her off, letting her fall to the wood of the dock as he dove into the water.

Quickly, she sat up and crawled over to the edge of the water. The woman continued to yell as she started slapping the surface of the water. Even Chase expected the man to resurface, but the only thing to float up were his pair of blue jeans.

The woman sat back, as if she’d given up, and simply stared into the water. At the silence, Chase took this as her cue to leave and started crawling backwards into the trees once more.

Returning to the house didn’t take as long as Chase had expected. They ran at the same pace, but the trees was getting darker. She had definitely lost track of time, and didn’t want to find herself in an unfamiliar forest in a Wesen-infested town after dark. Lukas seemed to almost lead them back to the house himself, and they emerged right as the sun went down beyond the horizon.

Chase was ready to go in and take a shower, not to mention use the lady’s room after such a long run, but as she crossed onto the street, she saw a black Suburban parked conveniently in front of her house. She lived at the end of her street, and if they were there for Monroe, they’d be blocking _his_ driveway. _Not_ hers.

Instead of acknowledging it, Chase decided to continue to play her part of the innocent runner. Lukas was confused as to why they didn’t go straight across the street and instead delved into the cul-de-sac, but he followed along. Without stopping, Chase turned right, turning her back on the Suburban so as to not raise too much suspicion.

Who could know she was there? It was only her second day in Portland, and she only knew Arthur and Alecia, wherever she may be. Chase knew Arthur drove a small, silver Honda, and Monroe himself drove an old yellow bug.

Chase told herself that she and Lukas would run right past the car, not stopping or hinting that anything was wrong. She’d turn at the intersection and once out of sight, climb into her backyard to find a way in. All was going as planned.

Then the doors opened as Chase ran past. She was pulled into the car, kicking and screaming. Lukas snarled and leapt up as well, but was pushed away as the door closed. Chase’s hand hurt from having his chain leash yanked from her grip, and she bit the man who pulled her in before taking a deep breath and looking at everyone in the car.

The man who had grabbed her off the street was big and burly, holding his bloody hand and glaring at Chase. She also gave him a split lip—probably from a flying elbow—and he didn’t look too happy. The driver wore sunglasses and looked straight ahead, even though the sky was darkening greatly. Another man was staring at her in a seat across from his. She determined that he was the one behind this.

“Hello, Miss Chase.” He said. Lukas’ barks could be heard outside of the car. So far, things were going well. It seemed they didn’t want to take her anywhere since they were sitting stationary, so maybe they just wanted to talk.

“I am George Pearson. Your parents contacted me about your arrival here in Portland.” He said. Only for a moment was Chase confused.

“Foster parents.” She said stiffly. Of course. This man must’ve been on the list of contacts they’d sent her. She was going to look it over tonight. George cleared his throat, but didn’t oblige.

“Your _parents_ gave me your location, and briefed me on your impressive history.” The man held up a file. Chase wasn’t impressed.

“You _really_ had to print out my file? And you _really_ had to contact me on my second day in town?” She had met guys in burger places who had intimidated her more than this. It was ridiculous. Meanwhile, Lukas kept barking.

“I have a pressing matter that needs to be taken care of, immediately. Within three days.” George said. A small look of annoyance crossed on his face as he peered down the window at the barking dog.

“Let him in here and he’ll stop.” Chase said. “I wonder how long it’ll take my neighbors to call the cops on a barking dog.” She shrugged. George only turned to the man beside her and nodded.

“Brace yourself.” She told him, smiling, and crouched down. As soon as the door opened, Lukas charged in, snarling. Chase had to wrestle him a bit with his leash before she could place a hand on his head so he’d sit still. However, his chest was still rumbling.

“Now, I have a profile of your target. Do not open it until you’re indoors. Will you accept the job?” He asked.

“Well, _George,_ this deal is shady at best. Why should I accept?” Chase smirked. George grimaced a bit. Then brought an envelope out of his jacket.

“Incentive. Of course, it is only a fraction of what you’ll receive when the deed is done.” He held it out. With one hand still on Lukas’ head for him to stay calm, Chase reached for the envelope and peeked inside. It was a check, and she smiled at the number on it. Funny how one little slip of paper can change so much.

The deal was made, and Chase exited the car with Lukas and the profile of her target. The car drove away immediately, and Chase had to smile. She got a job and enough money now to finish furnishing the house.

As she entered, however, she saw the lights of an unfamiliar car park in front of Monroe’s house. She narrowed her eyes.

 _Another Wesen?_ Chase thought to herself. She opened the front door just wide enough for Lukas to poke his nose out of the door. A man with dark hair and a tired expression exited his car. He held two large bags in his arms and walked up to Monroe’s front door.

Lukas was sniffing the air and keeping his eyes trailed on the man, Chase could tell. However, he didn’t bark, growl, whimper, or release the slightest sign that this man was Wesen. Chase sighed, then wondered if this man knew who—or what—his friend really was.

Chase closed the door and let Lukas off his leash, then resolved to take a shower and go to sleep after looking at the target profile. After she was clean and her hair wet and smelling of strawberries, Chase went into her locked office—still sparse of any and all furnishings—and sat cross-legged with the profile folder in front of her. She took a deep breath…and opened it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! Don't forget to check out this story's tumblr page at grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com and my other stories either on fanfiction.net or on my profile!


	3. Deadly Devices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

3.

The first thing Chase noticed was the mugshot clipped to the inside of the folder. It featured a tired-looking woman in front of a lineup and holding a plaque with her serial. Below the number were the words _“Portland Police Department”_.

Her hair was brown and stringy, pulled back into a tight bun with a few loose strands hanging around her head. As frazzled as she looked, her grey eyes were staring straight at the camera with her chin held high. The proud woman wore a black hoodie, but that’s all that could be gotten out of the picture. Chase set it aside.

The rest of the document described the woman in detail. Her name was Joyce Summers, she lived on the other side of town, and she had a history of trouble with the police. Chase allowed herself to smile as she turned to the last page in the folder. In a quick and handwritten sprawl, the word _Skalengeck_ was featured. It had been a while since she had crossed paths with the snake-type Wesen.

All that could be done now, was wait. Chase didn’t have any of her weapons or her notes on the Wesen, as those were being express delivered by her foster parents. Looking up from her sprawl across the floor, Chase knew what was next on her to-do list.

Chase needed a car. After depositing a sum of the substantial check into her account via cell phone, the leftover cash was burning a hole in her pocket. After all, she couldn’t let this money go to waste. It was morning before she called a cab to pick her up from the house, and directed the driver to the nearest car dealership.

The first thing the man did was grin and try to turn into a Jaguar dealership. Chase furiously waved him on, not wanting to draw attention to herself with something so flashy. Instantly, she thought of Monroe’s old yellow bug and started to laugh, though she’d probably show him up with whatever car she bought for herself.

At a red light, Chase spotted the lights of a Jeep dealership and pointed it out to the cabbie. He shrugged and pulled into the turning lane when the light changed, though he did look slightly disappointed. Chase only rolled her eyes and grinned. In a town like Portland, surrounded by so many forests and trails, it was good to be prepared. Besides, Chase could look forward to a little off-roading now and then.

The only car to catch her eye was a black Jeep Wrangler near the front of the complex. Chase ignored the dealer who was eyeing her warily and looked at its stats. Before she could actually do more than assess the price, the sweaty, pudgy little man who cast a few glances her way before approached.

“Can I _help_ you?” he asked. Chase noticed the way he quickly looked her up and down and just smiled, she was used to this reaction. Sure, she might not look the most professional in her black jacket and combat boots, but she could certainly buy at least six of these cars.

He probably wanted to help her find the door.

However, she only smiled at the man and fished her credit approval out of her pocket to hand it to him. Chase had a few of them lying around, all forgeries, but she really wasn’t keen on getting involved with the IRS. Instantly, he snatched it out of her hand and glanced at it.

He cleared his throat and held out his hand. “I’m Carl, the manager of this dealership.” Carl smiled now with a glint in his eye as Chase shook his hand. So she had exaggerated on a few of her figures—which definitely meant that the man would be kinder to her after seeing that—but if Carl ran the tests to tell if it was forged or not, nothing would be found out. Chase and her foster parents had friends in high places.

“Chase. It’s a pleasure.” She returned the smile and returned her gaze to the Wrangler’s stats in her hand. Carl’s expression returned to one of disdain.

“This is one of our, er, lesser models. I could definitely arrange to show you some more…suitable vehicles in the back.” He said. However, Chase felt quite confident in the Wrangler and didn’t want to spend any more money than was necessary. It was her turn to let her kind façade slide away.

“I’ll negotiate for this one here and now, Carl.” She said coolly. The dealer frowned for a split second before blinding her with a smile and naming his price.

All-in-all, Carl was a stubborn man and a hard negotiator, but Chase was just slightly better. She managed to slice a few thousand right off the top, but as soon as Chase came out as a cash buyer, Carl’s worries all seemed to fade away. He was happy to take the stack of bills right then and there, so long as he took care of the complete transaction. Chase simply handed him the money, took the keys and manual, and drove off in her new two-door.

She needed to make a few stops before returning to her home and to her Lukas. The first was to the nearby grocery. Chase’s house was still bare of many essentials—food included—and that needed to be quickly remedied. She wasn’t much of a cook but could whip something up quickly whenever she needed it. However, she absolutely loved Pringles.

Next, Chase was purely thinking of Lukas. He had been lazing about these past few days in the new house, so she needed to put a stop to that. She quickly located a nearby Pet Supply with her flashy new navigation system and parked outside.

The shop was nearly empty even though it was midday when she stepped inside. At the counter, a teenager in a baggy blue shirt looked up at her from behind the register before returning her gaze down to her phone; she looked bored to tears. Another worker in another blue shirt was speaking to an Asian man in a sweater on the opposite side of the store. His arms were laden with cat food and fake mice, and frankly he looked exhausted, though happy to be in the conversation.

Chase directed her attention to the half of the store dedicated to everything canine. She had nothing against cats, but they did make her sneeze.

She noticed that they didn’t carry the same brand of dog food she’d gotten Lukas back in Detroit. For a moment she stood there, thinking, then shrugged and blindly took down a large-dog food bag from the top shelf. Chase somehow managed to reach up and grab it, even though her center of gravity was fairly low. She then spun around, not realizing that someone was in direct striking distance of the bag.

“ _Oof,_ ” she heard, and then a crash. A toy mouse squeaked as it fell to the floor and bounced away. Setting down the bag, Chase crouched and looked at the Asian man who had taken the brunt of the bag to his face. This resulted in him falling to the floor.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were behind me!” Chase said. She frowned, the man had practically snuck up on her and she didn’t realize he was there? Suddenly, she was glad for the job. It would help to keep her on her toes.

“My fault.” The man simply sputtered out as Chase helped him stand up. Crouching down then, she helped him pick up all that he’d dropped.

“Sorry,” she said again, though not really knowing why she did. In fact, the man before her looked almost…pathetic.

“Just making my way to the register.” He said. Once again, his arms were full, so Chase bent to pick up the one mouse that had bounced away and precariously balanced it atop the pile. Chase thought he’d walk away then, but no. “You seem kind of familiar.” He seemed to find this fact puzzling.

“Oh.” Her pulse quickened. She had just moved here, how could he recognize her? “I, um, just moved in a few days ago. From Houston.” She lied. Houston was a few moves ago, and the town was overridden with _Heftigauroch_ , or the bull-type Wesen. Not a very pleasant place for that _and_ the heat.

The man thought for a moment, then Chase could practically see the lightbulb. “Portland Java! You were there yesterday!

“What?” She asked. Chase tried to remember anyone from in there. There was Arthur…and then the arrest! Her eyes flicked down to his hip. Although there was no uniform, a badge was attached to his belt at the hip. She hadn’t noticed that earlier. Her attention really was getting lax.  “Oh yes, you were the arresting Sergeant.” She remembered now.

“Sergeant Drew Wu.” He smiled, and Chase couldn’t help but smile back. “I’d shake your hand, but…” he looked down at his cat collectives.

“That’s alright. I’m Chase. Nice to meet you.” She bent down to pick up the dog food and then grab a large hedgehog chew toy from the display. Then they both began walking over to the register.

“Chase…?” He was searching for her last name. She just shook her head.

“Just Chase, thanks.” She said. Drew only shrugged. Quickly, she set the dog food and the toy on the counter while the teenager scanned them, quietly saying the total.

“So you’re a dog person, huh?” Drew asked. Chase liked him, but he was very talkative.

“I’m allergic to cats, so yeah.” She said. He then asked her what kind of dog she had. What were the regulations in Portland about wolf breeds? Chase didn’t know, and didn’t want to take any chances with a cop right in front of her, so she played it safe.

“Malamute.” She said, and quickly exited the store, leaving him to struggle with his purchases.

Chase drove away slowly, looking out the car windows for the kind of shop she was looking for. She needed some kind of apothecary or community garden which might have what she needed. She almost missed the words printed on one door she was passing, and came to a sudden halt as she almost passed it.

The words _‘Exotic Spice & Tea Shop’ _were printed in small sloping script.

It wasn’t quite what one would expect walking through the door. The smells were so overwhelming that Chase’s senses seemed to dull upon entering. After the bell rang overhead, the shop was also filled with a silence so thick she could almost hear her the blood pumping through her veins. Overall, it was a very tranquil effect. However, Chase’s adrenaline spiked as soon as she walked through the entrance.

Tendrils of dust swirled overhead, seen in the shafts of light that were quickly disappearing as sunset approached, though illuminating the many shelves of bottles serenely. Chase couldn’t make heads or tails out of this place. She almost turned around and got right back in her car before a woman came out of the back room, closing a curtain behind her.

“Hello, I’m Rosalee. Can I help you find anything?” She looked sweet, and pretty cute with her long brown hair and tan sweater; just the sort of person you’d expect to find in here. That is, if you’re not instantly thinking _witch_ upon entering. Even with that thought, Chase didn’t suspect Rosalee of being a _Hexenbiest_. Usually there were some fairly obvious tells.

“Do you have any Hydrangea?” Chase asked. A plan was forming in her head to take out that _Skalengeck._

Rosalee walked out from behind the counter and approached a seemingly random shelf. The shopkeeper bent down and started turning glass vials this way and that—and reading out the labels to herself.

“Here.” She said, reaching down and pulling out two glass bottles from opposite sides of the same shelf. This organization was pretty confusing. One of the bottles had a murky, semi-clear liquid in it. The other; some dark leaves. “I have the steamed leaves for tea and the extract. Which one did you say you needed?”

Chase smiled, holding out her hand. “I didn’t, but I’ll take the extract.” Rosalee handed it to her and started walking back over to the counter. Before any transaction could be made, the sharp toll of the bell above the door sounded and the door was slammed shut. Rosalee jumped slightly and Chase just spun around, the glass bottle in hand.

“Monroe?” Chase said. His head snapped up from the doorway and he quickly masked the look of anxiety on his face.

“Chase! Neighbor! What’re you doing here?” He asked. His hands were held behind him. Chase didn’t allow herself to appear suspicious.

“Just needed an ingredient.” She said, holding up the bottle. Chase looked back to Rosalee who was looking at Monroe with concern. Rosalee smiled when the girl looked over to her.

“I’m afraid I need to close early…” Rosalee placed a hand on Chase’s shoulder and subtly started leading her out. Monroe stepped back from the door and opened it wide for Rosalee to usher her out.

“Nice seeing you, neighbor!” He said before once again closing the door.

Chase was actually speechless, allowing herself to be kicked out of the shop. However, the force of someone running into her at full walking speed pulled her from the stupor. She was practically knocked back into a flower pot, only able to say “hey!” at the man who had shoved her.

Chase felt her arms held around the biceps and then placed at her side in order to regain her balance. When she looked up, a man who she instantly recognized was looking down at her as well, fleeting concern on his face.

“Sorry.” He said, and the concern was gone. Now he looked angry. In a split second, he released Chase’s arms and flew through the door to the spice shop as well. Twice in one day, Chase had seen two of the arresting officers from Portland Java. She had to take this as coincidence, though Portland was by no means a small city.

He was also the man she’d seen last night staying with Monroe. Chase already knew he wasn’t a Wesen as he’d passed the “Lukas Test” but Monroe was. Was Rosalee? Chase shook her head, already feeling wrapped up in too many of the Portland going-ons.

“Where’s the fire?” She muttered to herself, wondering what had them all in such a hurry to kick her out of there. With a start, Chase looked at the bottle in her hand. She hadn’t paid for this. Chase may have been slightly criminal, but she was an honest criminal. At least, in context. As she turned around, however, the sign in the window had been flipped to ‘ _Closed_ ’ and the shades were drawn. The lock from the door clicked loudly from directly in front of her.

Lukas was excited when Chase returned home, naturally, and Chase was excited because of the large package from her foster parents that she found waiting for her. Eighty-five pounds of fluff came barreling at her as she walked through the front door, though he was quickly distracted by the large squeaky hedgehog he’d been gifted. This distraction gave Chase enough time to heave the package inside and up into her office—where she locked the door behind her just in case.

That very same day, Chase had received some online orders of a desk, chair, weapon rack, and file cabinet. She had just been so fed up with sitting around on the floor doing research on her laptop. But now, with everything situated, she could finally set up shop.

The first thing to come out of the huge box was three notebooks. One was black and bound in leather with the initials ‘ _JB_ ’ in gold letters stamped over the front. The second was a deep red color, made like a diary complete with a latch on the front cover to keep it shut. However, the latch was old and broken and nobody knew where the key was, so its secrecy was pretty useless. Finally, came Chase’s own notes. The spiral notebook was leftover from sixth grade. It was pink and wide-ruled with a picture of some white fluffy cats on it. If you ignored the blood spattering the front cover, it was pretty cute.

These three journals were the only notes that she and her foster parents had on Wesen. When she decided to leave and go out on her own, her foster parents decided to photocopy their own journals and give the hard copies to her. Chase was grateful, really, but there weren’t nearly enough notes in them. Most was learned through experience, this meant that often Chase was flying blind, so to speak. Still, Chase placed the journals into the bottom compartment of the filing cabinet.

The next layer of the box was made up of all of Chase’s weapons. She definitely couldn’t take these on the plane to Portland. Content, Chase quickly dug through and pulled out her favorite handgun in its harness. It was nothing special, a pure black 1911 Kimber and bought at your run-of-the-mill gun warehouse, but it was her first. She named it Grace, after her mother—her _real_ mother.

Quickly, Chase strapped the harness around her hips and smiled, finally feeling balanced again. She quickly fished out her Concealed Carrying license from the box as well and slipped it into her wallet.

Her other weapons were some more assorted handguns from Glock and Colt, a collapsible recurve bow and arrows from her high-school archery phase, a few daggers and throwing knives, a hunting rifle, and some ammo and silencers. All of these Chase placed on the weapons rack. This room was slowly starting to feel cozier, one deadly device at a time.

Finally, under some more clothes that wouldn’t fit in the little bag Chase brought on the plane, were the rest of her documents; forged or otherwise. She quickly shoved everything into a desk drawer before feeling quite content and carrying the now-empty box downstairs to throw it away.

Chase then brought out a shallow bowl from the cupboard and sat on one of the stools at her kitchen’s island. Out of her pocket, she removed a small box of ammo. She placed this, the glass bottle of hydrangea extract, and Grace beside the bowl. Finally, she got to work coating the bullets in the extract and loading them into her gun.

Looking outside at the sunset, reds and oranges peaking over the tops of the trees, Chase wasn’t too worried about anyone looking in to see her working on her…hobby at this time of day.

That night, Chase awoke to the alarm on her phone, buzzing silently in the darkness. She shot up immediately, turning her phone off and letting her eyes adjust to being awake. Didn’t want to alert any nosy neighbors to the fact that she was up by turning on the bedroom light.

She quickly slid into some black fabric pants, black combat boots, and a black jacket with enough cling to be comfortable and enough pockets to have a function besides fashion. On her head, she placed a black beanie for warmth, as it seemed pretty drizzly outside.

Chase’s weapons were placed on the bedside table. She strapped Grace to her belt in its harness and put the rest of a box of ammo in her breast pocket. The box was now labeled ‘ _Skalengeck_ ’ due to the substance the bullets had been coated with earlier that evening. Finally, she slipped a knife into her right boot just in case of close-combat, with a silencer in her left. That being said, tonight was mostly for observation; for staking out good hide-outs and escape routes and most importantly, the victim. However, Chase wasn’t one to hesitate or back off from a clear shot.

As Joyce Summers lived across town, Chase couldn’t exactly walk. She had no choice but to take her new Jeep. The temporary tags were removed, just for tonight, so the car would be practically untraceable without an Amber Alert; and Chase was determined not to be seen in any case.

Surprisingly, not many people were out driving in Portland that night. Chase only passed a few cars, though she was taking the back roads across town, 2:00 AM Portland felt kind of…dead.

Joyce Summers lived extremely close to a shopping center. This was no surprise, as Chase remembered once being told that _Skalengeck_ were notorious for shoplifting. Kleptomania at its worst. Chase shook her head in disgust at that thought; they dared to live among human beings like wolves in sheep’s skin, and then steal from them as well? It only made her despise their kind all the more.

Chase parked a few blocks away, then carefully made her way through the surrounding alleyways of Summers’ neighborhood. She mapped out the dead ends and possible escape routes in her mind’s eye, and soon started staking out a place to lay low.

Chase popped the collar of her jacket as she crossed a street in order to partially ward off the relentless water droplets stinging her face. She was headed straight toward the townhouse across the street from Summers’ residence. Over the door, the word ‘ _Foreclosed_ ’ was featured prominently. It seemed to be pretty recent, as Chase saw only desolation as she looked through the window. Quickly, making sure no one was watching her, she cut through the sticker over the door and opened it. The lock was broken.

“Not too shabby.” She muttered sarcastically, closing the door behind her. Chase quietly held up her knife and walked over to the staircase, in order to find a room with a view of her target’s house.

The paint on the walls was peeling heavily. In the darkness, smells of mold and mildew only seemed to close in around Chase to constrict her. However, she’d been in worse places than this, so she pushed herself to go on up.

Upstairs, the first door she came to opened to reveal a bathroom. Chase simply peaked in then closed the door immediately, not even wanting to know whatever it was that happened in there. The next room was open. Holes in the doorframe revealed that there used to be hinges there—and probably a door—but that was somehow long gone.

Inside, Chase could only gather that this was a bedroom, due to the scuff marks on the hardwood floors. In the corner, there were also a few beer bottles, so Chase knew she wasn’t the first one to venture in here. However, her motive was a bit more concrete than recreational drinking.

The window of the far side of the room was fairly wide, and the screen was completely shredded on the outside of the glass. Perfect. Chase walked over and opened the window the rest of the way. She then removed the pair of binoculars from one of her jacket pockets that were always stored there. Carefully, she turned on the night vision, image intensification setting and held it up to her face.

Briefly, the thermal imaging setting came to mind before Chase chastised herself. There would be no heat-sensing on this job.

_Snakes are cold-blooded,_ she told herself. _That goes for_ Skalengecks _as well._

The townhouse was two stories tall and built from grimy-looking red bricks. It didn’t look like a very nice place to live, but Joyce Summers didn’t seem to be that concerned for herself as all the curtains were opened wide enough for Chase to look through and gather information.

Patiently, Chase searched the upper windows with her binoculars, outlining a few humanoid figures. However, she couldn’t be sure which one was Joyce Summers. Her information told her that the target lived alone, though it’s easy to collect false data.

After about an hour of watching—observation is so much fun—Chase started attaching her silencer to Grace out of boredom. She had just aligned the sights and finished perfecting the position of her silencer when she saw movement. At first, she thought her mind was playing tricks on her. Like most humans, she had a small and irrational fear of the dark.

Chase picked up her binoculars and looked out again at the house across the street. Nothing. Chase sighed. She was about to put her binoculars down again when—

_Something_.

It wasn’t in the upper floor windows, it was the opening of the front door.

Two figures exited the house. One was small and thin, wearing a black hoodie. Chase could recognize that face; she’d been studying it for two days. It was Joyce Summers. The other was bigger and broader, though still female. She was wearing Jeans and a gray t-shirt, not at all affected by the buffeting of the wind and rain.

As they walked down the path from the door and to the street, the two stopped simultaneously next to the garbage pile that looked like it hadn’t been take out in weeks. Chase was crouched down behind the windowsill, attempting to hide herself as best she could from the snakes while still seeing them. She started to shiver uncontrollably, as the open window was letting in all the bad weather. Chase was freezing.

Briefly Chase looked up to the sky, as if her glares could stop the rain. When she looked back towards the garbage heap, the _Skalengecks_ weren’t quite there anymore.

They had made their way out into the middle of the street.

They had _woged_.

And they were staring straight at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I have this written up until Chapter 6 so carry on!
> 
> Also, check out this story's tumblr page at grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com


	4. Bear Witness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

4.

It was just after dawn when Chase returned home. Aside from a long gash up the length of her arm, there were no serious injuries. Oh well, it would just be added to her collection of scars. After returning the tags to her jeep, Chase made sure no one was watching from the street before making her way inside and trudging up the stairs with Lukas following.

She dropped off her weapons, aside from Grace, in the locked office. Her _Skalengeck_ ammo was still quite full so she simply placed it in a drawer of her desk.

Chase cursed as she peeled her jacket off of the arm with the gash. The warm blood was making it stick, so she walked into the bathroom to pour some lukewarm water on it. It came off easier then, but Chase sighed as she realized she’d need a new jacket. Looking at the gash, Chase knew it’d need stitches. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d taken care of that on her own—and probably not the last—but she wasn’t immune to pain.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out as she pierced her skin with the needle. Then she bound her arm with white bandages. Lukas was whimpering outside the bathroom door, he probably smelled the blood.

In the end, her bed was too inviting to ignore. Chase barely was able to go around the house cleaning up any traces of blood before falling into the sheets and enveloping herself in darkness. Her black-out curtains allowed her to get a good day’s rest with Lukas lying next to her legs, playing sentinel.

Harsh knocking and doorbell ringing woke Chase up in the afternoon. She hadn’t slept nearly as long as she’d wanted, but she knew who it was. So, Chase grabbed her phone and threw on a sweater to hide the stitches.

Before opening the door, Chase peeked outside to confirm her suspicions. A Black SUV was out front blocking her driveway and boxing her Jeep in. Chase opened the door.

“Hiya, George.” She said. He immediately looked her up and down. Maybe in her sweater and with her bedhead it didn’t look like she’d killed anyone last night, but the job was done.

“Miss Chase.” He simply said. Was he glaring at her? Chase stepped back to let him in, noticing movement from the next door window. It was better if no one were around to witness what could go down.

“The jobs done.” Chase said, “But you didn’t tell me there’d be two.” She pulled out her phone and showed him the pictures of the two _Wesen._ One had a bullet hole right through its forehead and the other had foam covering its mouth.

When Chase was attacked, she quickly used Grace to take out one of them. The other got too close, so she landed a few blows and shoved one of her bullets into the _Skalengeck’s_ mouth. The Hydrangea coating was still poisonous to snakes through consumption and that one had died within five minutes.

George took the phone out of her hand and examined the pictures closely. He nodded slightly, then deleted the pictures before handing the cell back to Chase. Overall, he looked impressed.

“There was no information on a second _Wesen._ You handled the situation well.” He said. Chase shrugged. Lukas came down the stairs and butted her leg with his head.

“My payment?” Chase enquired.

“There is no check this time; it’s too risky. Your foster parents gave me your account information so the money will be transferred before the day is done. Good day, Miss Chase.” He said, making his way back to the front door.

“Of course they did,” Chase rolled her eyes. However, she couldn’t be too annoyed then because George had obliged to refer to them as her fosters. She could only return the favor by addressing him with grudging respect. “Goodbye Mr. Pearson.”

“I’ll be sure to spread word of your…ah, services. I’m sure I can be of some help to your assimilation here in Portland.” He shut the door behind him and Chase heard the sound of his SUV take off from her house.

Lukas butted her leg again. Chase looked down and saw that he had her bloody jacket in his mouth. She smiled slightly, and rubbed his belly to let him know she was okay. Then, she threw the jacket into the wash so it’d be clean when she’d throw it away.

“Let’s go for a walk.” She smiled. Lukas immediately wagged his tail and sat by the door. A dog’s a dog.

The two made their way to the lake following the path they’d taken on their previous jog. This time, Chase was more cautious in her approach, slowing down to emerge from the thicket quietly. Lukas was careful as well, though this time there was no barking or growling.

The only thing Chase found at the lake then was disappointment. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if the Wesen were there, but this was too anticlimactic for her tastes.

She wanted to explore a bit and familiarize herself with the lake’s surroundings, particularly the small home and the boardwalk. As Chase was about to step forward, the sound of distant thunder racked the air around her. Lukas flattened his ears around his head and stopped walking. When Chase looked up, she saw the storm clouds gathering.

With a more subdued gait, the two companions retreated back home.

True to his word, George forwarded an email the next day offering payment for the elimination of a _Geier._ Chase sat back in her office chair after reading over it a few times and pondered. The job was short-termed and only offered payment upon completion, not to mention Chase didn’t know the actual employer. However, it was a Monday, and she had nothing going on.

Chase replied in acceptance and shut her laptop. Then, she opened her desk drawer and took out the small amounts of notes on _Geiers_ in her foster-mother’s old Wesen diary:

_‘Vulture-like Wesen with a taste for human organs.’_

By small amounts, Chase meant that she only found one sentence on the creatures. She knew nothing of their usual hide-outs or their weaknesses. In the forwarded email, there was only an address to an apartment a few blocks downtown and a blurry photograph from a grocery security camera. This Wesen obviously didn’t have a criminal record due to the lack of a mug shot.

His name was Miles Maroney, so she used that to start. After an hour of searching police databases using the handy IP falsifier she’d gotten one Christmas, Chase had more information to go on and was printing some out in front of her. As she grabbed the top piece of paper and read the address, Chase smiled.

“Let’s do this, Miles.”

It was only mid-afternoon, but the storm clouds from the previous day hadn’t let up yet. It was darker than usual, and Chase wanted to see his hideout for herself, maybe see what she could learn before killing him.

She ushered Lukas into the jeep and hopped in after him. Chase was wearing all black once again, but no jacket, so the slight winds bit into her thin, long sleeves. Lukas started wagging his tail and looking out the passenger side window. He had always been content in cars, and seemed to enjoy the flying sensation almost as much as his walks. Chase placed his chain leash on his seat and took off, heading for downtown.

Miles lived directly across from a small park, perfect to run around a bit with Lukas and keep an eye on the apartment. He was definitely a class apart from Joyce Summers. As a working surgeon, Miles had plenty of time and money to keep his life comfortable. With the glass and chrome fixtures, Chase knew that his building was newer and slightly more upscale than one might find elsewhere.

Still, Chase knew there had to be a reason why someone wanted him dead. She shuddered. As a surgeon, he probably had access to plenty of human organs. How many deaths in the medical field weren’t actually deaths because of Wesen like him?

Chase buzzed his apartment, and waited for him to answer. He did, but not kindly.

“What do you want?” The voice had slight static and was higher pitched than Chase expected, but she had a feeling it was him. “Hello?”

Instead of answering, Chase backed away and started walking Lukas around some more. Now that she knew he was home she could wait him out and maybe—if she was lucky—discover some of his usual haunts.

The whole waiting thing made Chase a bit hungry, so she bought a blueberry muffin and some hot chocolate from a nearby café at around four. She sat on a park bench facing his building with Lukas laying down beside her. His head was resting on his front paws, but he was watching every bite Chase took out of her muffin.

When she was mostly done, Chase sighed and gave him a small bite before standing up and looking over at the building one last time. She was about to give up and leave. The sun would be going down soon, a grey twilight to dilute all the colors around them. Chase turned away and started walking back to the jeep, but felt a tugging at the chain leash she was holding.

Lukas was staring back at the apartment complex with his ears forward and tail erect. The low growl in his throat told Chase that whoever had just exited the building was Wesen. While unsure whether or not the man actually was the Miles Maroney she was looking for, Chase knew it wouldn’t hurt to follow him just in case.

The build was similar to that of his picture in the email, though the picture itself was fuzzy. But then, Chase had nothing to go on other than the fact that Lukas was weary. They trailed the man across the small park and down a side road.

He was walking too quickly to be on a leisurely stroll, but he wasn’t paranoid. The man kept his head forward and chin up, not even looking behind him to see Chase. As he turned down a few more streets, his dress pants and button-up shirt were starting to look more and more out of place. In his hands were a briefcase, but with the direction he was headed, Chase guessed he held more than just paperwork.

Finally, the man turned into a nicer street lined with a few trees still coated in lights from the holidays and practically ran into a bank once the mist in the air started getting heavier. Chase shivered, everything was wet.

She decided to go into the bank before it closed, maybe pretend to ask about their account policies or safe deposit boxes while in reality just keeping watch on her guy. She bent down and tied Lukas to a post next door, so he wasn’t recognizably directly in front of the bank, and then she walked inside.

It was nice. There were plenty of windows so even at this late hour light would still stream in, and the floor was nicely polished. Chase wondered why the man she’d been following didn’t go to a bank closer to home. She spotted him, and decided to stand third in line behind the teller to eavesdrop.

“Hello. Name please?” The teller asked him. Her purple shirt stood out apart from the other workers’ black dress wear.

“Mahoney.” He said. It had to be him. He leaned in a bit closer and said something to the teller that Chase couldn’t hear. The woman nodded and waved another woman over who took him through a door in back, presumably through the vault. The tall man in front of her stepped up to the counter.

“Well hello, Monroe. Deposit?” The woman greeted him by name and asked. Chase’s eyes whipped up and studied the back of his head. Her next door neighbor had to be here? _Now?_ Chase looked around at her escape routes and started edging her way out of the line.

“Yes, ma’am.” Monroe replied.

“How’s the clock business?” She asked.

“The hands of time put pennies in the pocket.” Monroe said, smiling. Chase was able to see his face a bit now. The teller laughed as well. “Ancient Chinese proverb.” He said.

Chase needed to get out of there. She hid from being seen by him behind a large potted plant, and just in time. The rapid succession of an automatic rifle was fired over at the wall. Three robbers in black hoods and holding guns stormed the bank.

Chase resisted rolling her eyes in the situation, it was midday and a police station was just down the street. Then, she got a look at their faces. To the normal person it’d look like they were wearing hideous masks to hide their identities, but Chase realized they were exposing more than they knew.

All three were _woged_ so even Chase could see their true selves; vile and gruesome. Two were _Blutbad_ and the third was a _Skalengeck._ Chase looked but she couldn’t breathe when she looked at them. She _really_ needed to get out of there, she didn’t have any weapons or ways to defend herself, but the Wesen were still firing in the air and one was blocking the door. The plant wouldn’t hide her for long.

Looking back over at Monroe, Chase assessed how his Wesen self was feeling about all this. He was staring slack jawed in a mix of terror and horror. Her neighbor’s eyes skirted between all three robbers, trying to make sense of the situation, when they landed on Chase. If it was even possible, his eyes got a bit wider, but Chase probably looked terrified.

She _despised Blutbad_ with all her soul, and she didn’t even have a way to fight them.

“Get down! Hey, you! Everybody get down!” The intruders were yelling.

“Don’t move! I said get on the floor!” One of them grabbed Monroe and pushed him to his knees. Chase was kneeling by that point as well, though involuntarily as she couldn’t take a breath in. The third robber, a female, went into the back and escorted Miles and his teller out into the open. He no longer had his briefcase.

Everyone was on the ground, so the three Wesen started going around to all the registers and shoving money into their bags. It was quick, they did this for less than a minute, and then they were running out just like that. The entire bank was dazed, and Chase couldn’t think.

She took this as her chance to run out as well, before anyone would stop her. When she got to Lukas, he was barking after a green truck that was speeding down the road, but Chase had to catch her breath. She doubled over just as the sound of police sirens arrived at the bank. She hadn’t been prepared for any of that, and Lukas started licking her face when she started to breathe again.

Chase couldn’t leave, she wanted to stay and see what Miles would be up to. She looked around and across the street there was a small Japanese restaurant with outdoor seating. Most of the diners were standing and looking across the street in horror, but Chase saw a few tables available. Once again, she tied Lukas and sat at the restaurant to watch with everyone else. No one noticed her.

People started streaming out of the bank. Officers covered them in blankets and allowed them to sit in the backs of ambulances. Monroe walked out of the bank, speaking furiously to the African-American and dark-haired police officers Chase had been seeing everywhere. She only hoped he wouldn’t mention her but it looked like there were other things on his mind.

Even if they did want to talk to her, she had no identification aside from Monroe’s word and she was dressed all in black. They’d probably think she was somehow involved.

A minute later, Chase recognized Miles exiting the bank and shaking hands with another officer. He appeared to be thanking him, and soon the caution tape was being held up for Miles to walk under and be on his way. Chase once again slipped out of the restaurant’s crowd and grabbed Lukas before following him back home.

Miles took a different route this time through streets with more people. This made sense because it was now dark, but he even seemed more paranoid. It might’ve been because of what happened at the bank, though he’d been totally at ease afterwards. Anyway, Miles held his phone close to his chest like he was about to call someone, but he kept walking.

Chase struggled to keep up, and only slowed a bit when Lukas did outside of a fast food restaurant. Taking her eyes off of Miles, Chase observed a man crossing the abandoned street at a diagonal. Chase finally slowed to a stop. She knew that look.

The new man’s head was bent down and his arms were crossed in front of him. He was walking brusquely and always keeping Miles in his line of sight. This guy had the look of someone out for blood. Chase wanted to run up, but she couldn’t do anything for Miles. Besides, if she saved him now she’d just have to kill him later.

Without precaution, Chase could tell that the killer wasn’t doing it for a bounty. He’d just kill Miles in the street with witnesses from the restaurant next to them and Chase as a witness herself. However, she was stunned by his boldness and she didn’t move. At the last moment, before the man pulled his gun, Miles turned and widened his eyes at his soon-to-be murderer.

Four sharp cracks in the still air was all it took to bring Miles down. Chase saw some of the fast food customers turn their heads at the deafening noise. The man didn’t use a silencer, and he wasn’t moving, either.

When the customers beside them started making their way to the window, Chase saw the killer tuck his gun back into his pants and start to turn. But then, he made eye contact with Chase.

He didn’t really have any definable characteristics, his eyes and hair were dark but maybe that was just the light. Facial structure broad, crooked nose, and all that. Chase realized after a moment they were both staring at each other and not moving. Chase’s eyes flickered down to Miles’ phone which was facing up and on a call screen.

Her eyes widened and drew the killer’s eyes there, as well. Miles must have been on the phone the whole time. It was probably 911, and looking to her left, patrons of that restaurant had phones up to their ears as well.

Lukas was growling the whole time. The haunches on his back stood up and when the killer finally took a step back, Lukas started barking. Quickly, Chase reached down and put a hand on his head to quiet him before she started walking away, too.

The police would surely pay her a visit as she saw a security camera and there were plenty of witnesses there, but Chase didn’t want to wait for them. They could find her if they wanted to and she needed to think.

Surprisingly, Chase found her way back to her Jeep and then home alright, though she was unfamiliar with the area she found herself in after following Miles for so long. At home and in preparation for any police investigation, Chase went into her office to delete and encrypt any incriminating files.

Finally it got to the point where Chase could do nothing but wait. She shot George Pearson an email saying not to contact her for a bit and then deleted that, too. It was later that night when the doorbell finally rang.

In reality, Chase hadn’t expected it to be so soon. She figured the investigation would go at least a day before they checked the security camera footage to track her down. Not to mention that being the new girl in town meant she was usually hard to find. Sighing, Chase made her way to the door in her sweats, tank top, and fuzzy black socks.

“Hey, Chase.” Monroe said when she opened the door. Lukas started barking and Chase was just surprised to see him there instead of the police. Quickly, she quieted the dog and then looked Monroe up and down. He seemed tired, and was still wearing his brown vest from earlier that day, but he also looked concerned.

“Hi…” She said slowly. Chase cautiously peeked behind him to see if his cop buddies were there, too.

Monroe awkwardly cleared his throat. “Uh, can I come in?” He asked after a moment. Chase looked at him confused for a moment and then stepped aside, allowing a Wesen into her house for the first time in _ever_.

Chase led him into the kitchen where Lukas leant against her leg protectively. She looked around hugging her torso, not really sure what to do in this situation.

“So…” Monroe started. Chase looked at him expectantly. “Are you alright? I mean, you got home safe and everything but I didn’t see you around the bank, uh, after the thing happened.”

Chase remembered what happened after and thought for a moment. “Oh, yeah. Uh, some officer took me outside, put a blanket over my shoulders, and asked me some questions…” Chase lied but it sounded like Monroe bought it. However, he did cock his head to the side as if he were…listening to something?

“Would you…like some tea?” Chase asked. Monroe smiled a bit and nodded so she brought down a mug and got out a bag of English Breakfast. She was making tea for her Wesen next-door-neighbor. This day was getting strange.

“I think the police will take care of it soon.” Monroe said. Chase rolled her eyes while her back was turned. They were Wesen, what could the police do? Chase herself was planning to stay out of it. She killed for bounty, she wasn’t a vigilante.

“Hope so.” Is all Chase said. She handed Monroe the tea and took a sip of her own whilst leaning against the counter. Once again, Monroe cleared his throat.

“It was kind of a weird one, though, right? I mean, the robbers.” Monroe said. Chase set down her teacup and took a deep breath. The images of two snarling _Blutbad_ popped into her head. She _hated_ them.

“Chase?” Monroe asked. Chase looked up quickly and smiled a bit.

“Oh, yeah. The masks, right? Weird…” They fell into an awkward silence for a few moments before Monroe looked around a bit.

“This is a nice place.” He said. “Though it was kind of a dump before the other guy bought it.”

“Arthur?” She asked. Monroe nodded. They both sipped their tea some more before the doorbell rang again. Lukas stood up again and poked his nose against the front window. Both Monroe and Chase looked over.

Setting down her half-finished tea, Chase walked over to the door again. Lukas didn’t bark.

“Miss Chase?” A voice asked. Behind the welcome mat Chase saw the officers from earlier and a patrol car behind them. “I’m Detective Burkhardt and this is Detective Griffin. We’d like to ask you some questions about an incident that occurred earlier today.”

“Of course.” Once again, Chase stepped aside and let strangers into her home. They looked around for a bit before Chase led them into the kitchen as well to grab her tea.

“Nick? Hank? What are you doing here?” Monroe asked. He was still standing at the island.

“Monroe?” One of them answered with a question. Chase wasn’t sure which one was Nick and which was Hank. Chase looked between all of them and said nothing. Finally, Monroe stood up.

“I’ll be going then. Just come over if you need anything and I’m glad you’re alright.” He said. His tea was done but the cup was still steaming so he put it by the sink.

“What happened?” The dark-haired one asked. Chase sighed but Monroe answered.

“Nick, you know…” his voice dropped a bit, “the bank?” Nick suddenly turned to me and studied my face.

“You were there?” He asked. Chase nodded. “I didn’t see you…” He said. Chase shrugged.

“That’s not why you’re here?” Monroe asked.

“We’re here because of a murder.” Hank said. Monroe just looked dazed.

Chase took another sip of tea and looked at the officers expectantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter up! Here we go!
> 
> Check out this story's tumblr at grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com even though it's pretty barren right now... It's new!


	5. Midnight at McDonald's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

5.

There were two officers of the law sitting in Chase’s living room and she hadn’t even been in town for a week. Monroe left a few minutes earlier but by the looks he was giving Nick, Chase knew he’d be told everything anyway.

“Did you have any affiliation or acquaintance with the victim, Peter Maroney?” Nick said, looking straight down onto his notepad. He glanced up to see Chase looking confused. “Ms. Chase?”

“ _Who_?” She asked, crossing her arms. She probably sounded a bit more aggressive than she needed to be, but who the hell was Peter?

“Peter Maroney.” Hank repeated. They were looking at her expectantly. She realized she didn’t know a thing about Peter, only Miles who, as it turns out, wasn’t as dead as she thought. The entire day had been a bust.

“No.” Chase replied. She took a deep breath to hide her annoyance and then started acting. “But it was terrible, I was just walking home from a previous traumatic event at _a bank_ and suddenly there’s a guy shot in front of me! He’s dead! Oh my God he’s dead!” Chase brought a hand up to her face and looked at Nick. He actually had a look of pity on his face.

“Ma’am, I know it’s difficult but we need information. Whatever you can give us.” Hank said.

“Okay, um, dark hair and eyes, broad face, crooked nose, though that could have just been the light. I don’t know it happened so fast! And then he shot him, like, four times but he had called 911 so he ran and he looked at me and oh my god I made eye-contact with a killer today.” Chase finished and watched Nick scribble some things down.

“ _The suspect_ had dark hair and eyes, a crooked nose and a broad face. Then he shot _the victim_ four times and made eye contact with you and ran away?” Nick asked, specifying. Chase nodded.

“And the victim called 911 which is why the suspect ran.” Hank concluded. Then, the two detectives stood and told Chase not to leave the house. The police might need her again later. Chase nodded and led them to the front door. Before they left and while Chase wasn’t looking, Hank pulled Nick to his side and whispered in his ear.

“She Wesen?” Hank asked. Chase’s eyes widened slightly. What was going on here? She barely heard the two police detectives bid her a good night before she realized. She had to go with them and find out what _they_ knew.

“Wait!” She was out the front door in a flash and waving to them. The detectives looked at each other and turned around.

“Did I mention that, um,” Chase had to breathe a bit before saying this as she was basically about to sign her own alibi away, “Parker had a briefcase before he went into the bank and afterwards it was gone!”

“The victim was at the bank? During the robbery with you?” Nick asked. He started walking towards her again. Chase shivered a bit but nodded.

“Well, not with me. Completely different circumstances. Monroe probably saw him too.” She said. Nick and Hank looked at each other and nodded. Hank put his hands up a bit in a seemingly comforting gesture.

“Miss Chase, you’ll have to come with us down to the precinct. As an important witness you need protection and we have a few more questions to ask you.” He said.

“Let me grab my coat.” Chase smiled. She ran off before the two detectives could even make eye contact under the strange circumstances.

This time there were three men interviewing her, and presumably more behind the one-way mirror of the room. Chase couldn’t help but stare into it, wondering if she was making eye contact with anyone back there. She was probably just making a fool of herself.

“Describe the briefcase please?” Sergeant Wu said in his uniform. He was certainly surprised to see her at the precinct after all of their chance encounters. Chase’s eyes snapped up to him suspiciously. How much did he know? Was the entire city aware of its… _infestation?_

“It was old-ish looking and black and leather.” Chase sighed. They had basically started the interview over because now she was their primary witness to the murder. “But I have no idea what was in it. He just deposited it at the bank.”

“And which officer spoke to you after the robbery?” Wu asked. Chase only shrugged, hoping to simply play it off. “You don’t know?”

“Don’t remember.” She said slowly. Hopefully things wouldn’t get too complicated.

“I didn’t see your name on the list of hostages.” He said. Chase only shrugged once more. So they were hostages now? The whole ordeal couldn’t’ve lasted longer than fifteen minutes. Sergeant Wu just shook his head and backed off.

“We understand that this must be hard. Is there anything else you can tell us to further the investigation?” Nick asked. This was too bad, because Chase saw his rapport from a mile away. He was trying to make her feel comfortable.

Chase suddenly got an idea. She put on her most confused façade and took a deep breath.

“Well…” she said slowly. Nick leaned in, interested. “Pet- um, the victim? There was something strange about him.” Chase purposely spoke as obscure as possible, wondering who would ask her the obvious question first.

“What was strange?” Hank asked. He not so subtly looked at Nick, but Nick had leaned back against the wall.

“After the gunshots, he kind of…changed? God, this is so weird.” Chase threw her head back for effect and all of the men in the room looked interested. That is, aside from Wu who just looked hopelessly lost.

“Please, Ms. Chase. Tell us everything.” Hank urged. Chase obliged.

She ended up fabricating a story of how Peter Maroney’s eyes turned yellow, his skin became almost feathery, and he started gasping for air once he was shot. The gasps sounded more like squawks. Of course, he hadn’t actually woged when he died, but if his brother, Miles, was a _Geier_ , then he must’ve been as well.

Chase didn’t say _Geier_ because that just would’ve been too obvious.

Surprisingly, Hank and Nick elected to stay quiet. Hank looked excited while Nick was contemplative. Chase was sure she made it obvious enough that they were, in fact, dealing with Wesen here. They seemed to know what that meant.

It was Wu who smiled at Chase with pity and patted her hand. He told her some story about adrenaline mixed with fear causing the eyes to play tricks on some people when in danger. If she really needed it, he told her to go to her doctor and get some medication to feel better. He seemed so sincere, but Chase was resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

“You’re free to go, though we might post an officer outside of your house for a while until things blow over. Just to be safe.” Wu said, then smiled. “I’ll find an officer to take you home.”

Just then, Nick stood up straight off the wall and silenced his partner, who looked like a little kid on Christmas. “I’ll take her.” Nick said, “M’going back there anyway.”

Nick led her from the interrogation chamber and out into the hall. His hand was ghosting over the small of her back, and the hair on the back of her neck started sticking up. Chase looked over her shoulder.

The handsome police captain Chase had seen a few times on her television exited the room adjacent to where she had just been. So he had been the one watching her. He suddenly looked up and the two of them made eye contact. The disinterested captain then turned his eyes to the back of Nick’s head and they narrowed. Chase turned around and was led to his desk.

“I just have to grab something really quick.” Nick said, rummaging through his drawers. He pulled out two manila folders. One had the name “Peter Maroney” on it and the other she couldn’t see. However, it seemed empty. They left when Nick nodded goodbye to the officers still in the precinct that late.

Nick’s Toyota was pretty beat-up, but endearing in a way. It hit every bump in the road and the clock didn’t work, but at least the heat did. It was cold outside. And rainy.

“So, Kristine Chase.” Nick said. Chase was falling asleep in the passenger seat, but she came to as he said her full name.

“Chase.” She said. She couldn’t tell if she sounded hostile or not, but that was a probability. Kristine was her grandmother’s name. Chase never met her, so why would she remember her with her own name? She chose to go by the last name of her real parents.

“Alright, Chase.” Nick smiled a bit. Chase sighed.

“Yes?” She asked. She was fine with silence, but this could turn interesting.

“What’s your dog’s name?” He asked. Chase was caught by surprise by something so informal, but she smiled a bit.

“He’s my Lukas.” She said. “And he’s probably worried sick about me. Why do you ask?”

Nick chuckled, though Chase didn’t know why. “Well, there aren’t many wolf hybrids in Portland.”

“How did you…?” Chase was confused and she sat up a bit straighter.

“Monroe.” Nick said, then laughed as if what he said next was the funniest thing in the world. “He’s a bit of a dog-person.”

“I hope it’s not illegal.” Chase muttered. If this detective tried anything against her dog…

“I won’t tell. You’ve got him well-trained.” Nick said. _You have no idea_ , Chase wanted to add. Life would probably be easier for Nick if he had a Wesen-detecting dog as well.

“Monroe…that’s right! You two are living together.” Chase smiled.

“Well, we’re not…” Nick sighed, “I’m just staying at his place after a bad break-up.

“You don’t need to explain to me,” Chase giggled, “it’s fine.” Nick huffed and kept driving. They were about to leave the commercial areas of Portland for the residential. Something caught Chase’s eyes. The golden arches of a McDonald’s were ahead and her stomach was growling.

“Detective Burkhardt?” She asked, still looking out the window.

“Nick.” He said. “But yes?”

“I have no food in my house and I’m starving after today’s events. Mind if we go through the drive-thru? I’ll pay. Not to mention you owe me for knocking me into a flower pot outside of the Spice Shop that one day.” Chase brought her wallet out of her coat’s pocket and looked at him. “Please?”

Nick didn’t answer, just pulled into the short line of cars and asked for her order. He even refused to let Chase pay, which she wasn’t used to. Two burgers and milkshakes later, Nick pulled up in front of Monroe’s house. They both got out of the Toyota.

“Thanks for the ride.” Chase said. Nick nodded and walked up to Monroe’s front door, suddenly seeming a bit down. Chase wondered how bad the breakup had really been.

Her thoughts were cut short as she approached her front door and heard whining from the inside. Looking through the window, she saw Lukas standing up and scratching at the door, tail wagging because she was home. Chase laughed as she opened the door, the sound ringing through the night and heard in the next house over.

Before going to bed, Chase emailed George Pearson back about the day’s events and told him to find someone else to take care of Miles. She was done with this job and with the anonymous employer.

Over the next few days, there would be an occasional police officer sitting outside in their cruiser. Chase was just told to ignore them. She woke up to the sound of a text message on her phone one morning.

_Lunch?_

Chase groggily looked at the text from Arthur and then at the clock. It was almost 11:00. Why had she slept in so late? Lukas picked up his head off of her legs when she started sitting up. Not only were her legs asleep because of the dog’s weight, but her head was pounding.

Chase held her head and concentrated with her eyes squeezed closed to block out the light. That’s right…

She had taken a job last night. There was a bar, there was an apartment, and then there was a fake-suicide. If Chase was so drunk last night to have this bad of a hangover and have a hard time recalling everything, she was surprised the job went as well as it did. Still, she was nervous about how careful she’d been. In her drunken stupor, did she leave any evidence?

She stood. She was a bit wobbly but she could handle it. The best way to know if she’d gotten caught last night was to mingle with people in a public place. So, she shot Arthur back a text to meet her at a small café in an hour.

While a cup of rooibos tea was brewing (great for hangovers), Chase started getting dressed. From personal experience, wearing a dress with a hangover would make everyone think that she’d tried to look nice today and it would take away from the fact that she’d had a crazy night.

With some Tylenol, the tea made her feel immensely better, and she looked fairly presentable. At the very least, it looked like she’d tried. Chase grabbed her keys and let Lukas out to the backyard for a few minutes before leaving. It was a quarter to twelve.

Chase arrived at Café du Berry with two minutes to spare. However, Arthur was already seated. He stood as she walked in and smiled.

“Looking good.” He said. Chase’s plan had apparently worked. He didn’t notice the telltale signs of a hangover, just the angle of her bosom.

Chase ordered crepes and Arthur ordered a bowl of shrimp linguine, almost without a word. Chase wondered why he invited her out. She’d bought a house from him, that didn’t mean she was interested. Especially because he was Wesen.

“How’s the house?” Arthur spoke. Small talk? Alrighty…

“If there was anything the matter with it I’d call and make you fix it.” Chase said. She was currently stuffing the last crepe into her mouth. Arthur laughed a bit too much for her statement.

“So how have you been?” Arthur asked.

“Fine.” She answered.

“You know…” He started, almost stopping as if thinking better of his next words, “were you in a bank robbery?” Chase set her fork down and nodded without hesitation. But how did he know?

“Heard that through the grapevine, did you?” Chase smiled. Arthur nodded and looked down at his food. She could tell he was a picky eater; most of the seafood was picked away and only a few of the noodles were eaten.

“Honestly, it wasn’t too bad.” Chase said.

“My friend is a teller there.” He said. “She’s good, too, and then I saw you in the background of the news story, but you weren’t with the other hostages.”

“I was one of the first to get interviewed, I guess. No signs of shock or anything so I stayed around to watch from afar for a while.” Chase said.

“I get it, but you didn’t happen to see their masks, did you? Everyone’s talking about it.” He said. Now he was eyeing Chase carefully. She supposed he was simply curious about the robbery.

“I did. It was weird.” She almost shuddered at the thought of the _Blutbad_ but kept herself steeled. “Any ideas about the masks?” She asked nonchalantly.

“Some.” Arthur said, but didn’t continue.

The waitress came back with the bill, and Chase slid her card into the folder before Arthur had the chance. He was a little annoyed, so Chase supposed this was supposed to be a date courtesy of him. However, Chase liked to pay for her own things. She prided herself on her own independence, though her foster mother had told her that she’s just selfish.

“Anyway, I was wondering if you’re a very outdoorsy person?” Arthur said. Chase was confused for a few moments about why that subject would come up before she smiled and nodded. At least she was in Portland where it’s easy to be an outdoorsy person. “Well, you’ll love this, there’s this trail on Mount Hood called Mount Hood Meadows that’s super secluded, great for dogs, and it’s not too difficult.”

“Really? How long is it?” Chase asked. For some reason she was getting pretty antsy and wanted to go. It’s been a fairly awkward sate.

“Nine miles. I, uh, was wondering if you’d like to go with me some time? Maybe next weekend?” Arthur put a hand up on the back of his head, smoothing down his short hair. Somehow, Chase managed to keep the smile on his face as he asked her. Arthur was really nice, but she _didn’t_ really want to spend much time with him.

“Well, I’m sure it’d be a lot of fun, though I’m really busy right now…” Chase trailed off. She looked at the time on her phone and they’d been there for about an hour. It would be socially acceptable to leave then. “And I’ve got to go now, but I’ll text you if I’m ever free.” She said. He sat back in his chair a little disappointed as Chase ran out of the café.

At least Chase didn’t feel so hungover anymore when she got home. She noticed a cruiser parked outside of her house and waved at the officer inside. She was young with light hair and waved back. Chase was used to the car being parked there throughout most of the afternoon and evening, but sometimes she also noticed Monroe and Nick looking over towards her house whenever they went anywhere.

As Chase exited her Jeep behind the cruiser, she was almost directly in front of Nick’s Toyota, and she noticed him brusquely walk out of Monroe’s front door, talking on the phone. She didn’t realize she hadn’t moved until Nick was directly beside her. He hung up and forced himself to smile at her.

“Hi Chase.” His electric blue eyes weren’t smiling along with his mouth. They looked stressed.

“Everything alright?” Chase asked, skipping the formalities.

“Oh, yeah. Just some work business.” He said, slipping the phone into his pocket. “Got any fun plans for the weekend?”

It was Friday, and Chase expected him to be a bit curious of her lifestyle. She didn’t appear to have a steady job and yet lived a cozy life. Not to mention that she didn’t exactly appear to be in the lap of luxury. Then again, Chase couldn’t say that she’d probably be murdering some Wesen over the weekend.

“Yeah…I’m going on a hike.” She said. “Mount Hood Meadows. Have you heard of it?” This was the definition of an impulsive decision. She hoped Arthur wouldn’t mind.

“I have, actually. The canyon stretch can be pretty treacherous so be careful.” He said. Then, Nick’s phone rang again. He looked on the screen and tapped for the message to disappear.

“I’ve got to go; double homicide.” He said. Then, Nick paused for a bit. “Don’t know why I told you that, actually.”

Chase laughed, “it’s fine, I won’t tell anyone about your secret murders.” Nick smiled and thanked her and then left.

The next day, Chasehad set out her hiking equipment. Thankfully, it had come with all the other shipments her foster parents had made. There was a hunter-green backpack, water bottles, some granola, a Swiss army knife (though she also had her pistol tucked away safely just in case), compass, whistle, and other assorted but necessary items. She tucked her cell into her shorts and clipped Lukas into his harness. Then, they were ready to go.

Thankfully, the weather was beautiful. It was up in the eighties already by mid-morning but the foliage was still covered in a thin bit of dew from the night before. It was so green there, so much better than Detroit.

The first mile or so of the trail was fairly crowded. Chase supposed that many people had wanted to take advantage of the day. Chase wasn’t sure why she’d actually followed through with the hike after telling Nick about it, but it was almost like she couldn’t not go.

Chase and Lukas descended a rocky path over a slope to reveal a hidden forest below the ground level behind them. The trees were enormous, and Chase felt a bit insignificant following the trail. She loved it.

Soon they came to a drop off that signaled the entrance to the canyon stretch of the trail. It’s been about three miles that they’d walked so far. It was getting very hot, and in the distance there even seemed to be some steam coming up off of the forest floor. Chase knew that it must’ve been a minor geyser in the park, due to the dormant volcanos near Portland.

Frankly, Chase was excited to get to the secluded lake the trail head had mentioned. Maybe she’d be able to wade in a bit and cool off. After another mile, Lukas also picked up a stick he’d want Chase to throw around later.

Nick ended up being right. Climbing through the canyons, some of the rocks were loose and slid a bit. There were also some patches of deep mud that weren’t exposed to the sun to dry off. However, the trail was a perfect challenge.

Finally, Chase and Lukas saw the sparkling of a blue lake in front of them. They were the only ones who had apparently decided to make the hike that day, and they didn’t regret it. Chase took off her shoes and socks and waded a bit into the lake, then threw the stick out for Lukas to retrieve. But, one time, Lukas didn’t retrieve the stick. He stayed out in the lake up to his haunches and started barking, stick completely forgotten.

Chase froze and turned around.

Behind her was an eight foot tall fiery demon.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm expecting to write the next chapter soon and have fairly regular updates at last until the start of school again! Don't give up on me, please.
> 
> Copy/paste grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com into your search engine to see the tumblr for this story!
> 
> Yay!


	6. Intruder Alert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

6.

If Chase wasn’t used to weird, she would never have believed what she was seeing directly in front of her. Lukas’ barking was keeping her slightly grounded, but she couldn’t tell if it was annoying the fiery…thing…in front of her or not. It wasn’t really doing anything, but the fire—or magma—it was made up of was roaring. Then there were the glowing yellow eyes which seemed fixated on her.

Was it hostile? She couldn’t tell… It definitely didn’t look like any wesen she’d seen before. Was it even wesen?

Something hit the back of Chase’s calf. It was light, but Chase looked down anyway. The stick she’d thrown for Lukas had been blown back to her by the wind. She picked it up. Her bag with her knife and her gun was behind the demon guy. A stick was better than nothing, right?

The demon stepped forward once. He was standing directly in front of the water’s shore now, but the breeze in the air was creating just enough of a surf that the lake water lapped the tips of his feet slightly. When that happened, a huge amount of steam was created and the hissing noise filled Chase’s ears.

Man this dude was hot.

Even from where his toes were touching the water, Chase could see it boiling near him. The heat radiating off of him made her feel like she was getting a sunburn on her skin, and the water around her feet was getting steadily warmer. If he came any closer, he was going to boil her alive.

“Lukas!” Chase whisper-yelled. He stopped barking and crawled towards her a bit with his haunches still raised. Because Lukas had barked, it made Chase think that the fire man was wesen, but how? She seriously doubted it. So maybe Lukas was growling and barking because he was scared? Wow, that didn’t happen often.

Without warning, Chase threw her stick overhand at the demon. He stepped maybe an eighth of an inch back, and the stick burst into flames and practically disintegrated upon contacting the magma.

Chase ran anyway.

Lukas shot in front of her, bounding a ways down the path but slowing to look behind him so he wouldn’t completely abandon Chase. Time seemed to slow as she veered around the demon, the heat emitting from him burning her eyes. He turned with her, just watching her go, but he reached out at the last second.

At first, Chase felt the searing pain of heat on a small part of her shoulder, and then it only felt cold. That could’ve been a bad sign. Chase bent down as she was running and grabbed her pack. It was still open, and things were probably falling out as she ran, but she could care less.

Finally, when Lukas slowed down some more and Chase was breathing hard, she turned around. The demon hadn’t followed them, so she stopped to catch her breath.

“What the hell?” Chase suddenly asked herself. Lukas was panting a bit too. They’d arrived back at the canyon stretch by running, meaning they’d already traveled half a mile. That meant there were three more miles until they’d get out of the canyons and then another mile before seeing other people.

Chase was barefoot.

Her shoulder was starting to sting from the burn again.

 She zipped up her pack after a drink of water and started walking. Before, the adrenaline let her ignore all of the tiny, sharp pebbles digging into her bare feet. Now, she couldn’t think of anything else. At least they weren’t lost.

The canyons which were breathtaking at the first pass now just seemed dull and grey. Chase was making good time, they’d made it another two miles through the canyon, and she could almost ignore the burning pain on her shoulder.

“Oh my god! Are you okay?” Chase suddenly heard. There was another hiker racing towards her now. They’d come to the White River Crossing, another part of the hike and probably the most dangerous. At least it meant she was halfway back.

Lukas sniffed the air a bit but didn’t bark. That was a relief. The man was now standing right in front of her, looking her over from her bare and blistering feet to her mussed-up hair. He’d probably freak out even more seeing the burn on her back.

“I…” Chase trailed off. She was so used to telling everyone she was fine that she almost did it again. “…No.” Her throat felt a bit dry at admitting it to someone, and her eyes watered. However, that could’ve been because of the previous heat.

“What happened?” He asked. Chase was led to a rock and made to sit down. Chase knew she couldn’t just tell the truth. Her first stop would be the hospital and her second would be an institution.

“My dog and I were at the lake at the end of the trail, and this dude came out in a mask. He was holding a torch or something so I ran!” Chase said. She angled herself a bit to show him her shoulder and the burn. A slight intake of breath from the hiker told Chase that it had achieved the desired reaction.

“What’s your name?” He asked. “I’m Alexei.” Chase only then noticed the German accent when he spoke in English. Boy, she was slow today.

“I’m Chase…are you just visiting here?” Chase asked. She didn’t know why she felt inclined to make small talk with this man.

“I moved from Germany for my job. Engineering. But is not important, you have to go to the hospital.” Alexei said. He was right, she was able to treat a lot of wounds at home, but definitely not a severe burn on the back of her shoulder. Chase despised hospitals, but even she could be reasonable.

She took out her phone and looked for service. The little x over her service bars told her all she needed to know. At her sigh, Alexei took out his phone as well and frowned a bit.

“Here.” He opened his pack and took out a spare pair of socks. Chase’s eyes widened when he held them out to her. Quickly she pulled them on her sore feet. “If you can keep going then do. I will run ahead and find service to call the hospital.” With that, he took off. Chase looked down at Lukas.

“C’mon, dog. One more mile.” Chase said, standing. She saw Alexei scrambling along the canyon path, already almost out of sight. She thought he’d been kind of cute.

The socks definitely helped. Even though they were a bit too big and kept falling down to Chase’s ankles, the little pebbles didn’t hurt anymore. Now she just had to be careful not to step on the big rocks, or twist her ankle, or fall down the edge of the canyon because she had no traction. Lukas, on the other hand, was doing quite well. Of course, he was used to going barefoot.

Chase stopped for another water break. She was almost back to the trailhead, and surprisingly hadn’t encountered another person on her way back. Lukas was getting a bit antsy, though. Chase had no idea why, but he seemed cautious. He was used to being outside, and he was doing really well before, so it didn’t make much sense.

Finally, when the trailhead did come into view, Chase realized why no one else seemed to be on the trail. They were all gathered around an ambulance with its lights flashing. Quickly, Chase bent down and clipped Lukas’ spare leash to his harness because his other one was back at the lake. Lukas had his haunches raised once more, however, and started barking at the crowd of people.

Chase realized quickly what that was all about and put her hand on his head. With all those people, a handful had to be wesen. Usually Lukas didn’t encounter them in such quantity.

“There she is!” Alexei called out, pointing. Chase sighed. This seemed like a big deal. The paramedics immediately came rushing towards her, it looked like they had just been getting ready to hike out to meet her. When they did come up to her, Chase felt a pair of gloved hands leading her over towards the ambulance. Another pair of hands took Lukas’ leash out of her hands.

“You’ll be reunited soon, I promise. First we have to check you out.” The paramedic said. Lukas was being a good boy. He didn’t start barking and he didn’t struggle too much. Chase didn’t see exactly where they took him but they soon led her over to the gurney by the ambulance.

“Please lay down on your stomach.” One woman said. She was the main one focusing on Chase’s burn. Another was looking at her feet and one man already seated in the ambulance looked ready to take her vitals.

“I don’t—” Chase started, but it didn’t seem like she was allowed to disagree.

“Ma’am.” The woman just looked at her and spoke in a ‘no-buts’ kind of tone. Chase gave in and approached the gurney.

“Chase!” Alexei once again came forward. He handed her a slip of paper with the instructions to let him know she was alright later. Chase could only nod before he was shooed off by the paramedics and she was loaded into the ambulance. They took off, but there was no huge hurry. Chase wasn’t on the brink of death.

While her shirt was being cut into to expose her shoulder, one of the paramedics started having small talk with her. It was probably just precautionary but Chase was ready to go home already. Evidently, however, she received a second degree burn on her back which definitely needed to be treated at the hospital. The lightweight and fast-drying shirt she’d worn had also slightly melted into her back, just making the burn that much worse.

She also felt Alexei’s socks coming off and someone washing her feet from all the dirt and blood probably on them. It was definitely a bad time to be ticklish, so Chase had to bite her lip to stop herself from kicking the poor paramedic in the face.

Finally, they arrived at the hospital and Chase felt a lot less crowded. She was propped up on her side with pillows so her burn wouldn’t be touching the sheets. From what she’d been told, it was angry-looking, red and blistered, and “nothing to worry about” because the doctors there were all capable of treating it.

It seemed to be true enough, Chase was on some minor painkillers and her shoulder was already bandaged. They just needed to bandage her feet and then watch her wounds to make sure nothing would become infected. Another reason why she couldn’t leave was because she was told that someone wanted to speak with her. Apparently it was someone important.

Chase was channel surfing using the small television in her room. Watching random shows, she didn’t have to think about the white walls of the hospital, or the bright lights, or the sounds of despair coming from down the hall which sounded so familiar…

There was a knock on Chase’s door. She didn’t need to call out a “come in” or a “sod off” because the door opened only a second later. She supposed this was her important person coming to talk to her. They made their way into her vision to sit at the empty chair. Chase turned off the television when she saw who it was.

“Detective.” She said. Chase smiled slightly, at least they wouldn’t have to go over the basics again. She also supposed that the Portland PD was an important enough visitor.

“Nick, please.” He said. Then, “how are you, Chase?” Nick said. Chase resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was only being courteous, though she did find a bit of concern in his blue eyes. She hated being in such a vulnerable position in front of him—and anyone really—because it felt like her guard was down. Really though, she was more cautious than ever.

“Oh, I’m in the hospital after being attacked but it’s no biggy.” Chase said. Nick raised an eyebrow and Chase continued. “I’m fine. Really. Why are you here, then? What’s up?”

“I’m here about you being attacked. You sure seem to attract trouble.” He said. “And because there’ve been other people in the Mount Hood area who’ve come out with similar, um, burns. Still, none made it out quite like you did.” Chase paused. Her injuries were relatively minor, and then she realized the full extent of his words. She remembered his work call from earlier.

“Oh. The double homicide?” Chase asked. Nick nodded. “Then what do you want to know?” Chase was feeling a bit apprehensive. Should she lie about what she saw? Certainly she should avoid the truth for a little while. She knew that Nick knew about wesen, but to what extent? She was supposed to be the innocent and naïve woman here. She wasn’t allowed to believe it herself.

“Who—or what—exactly attacked you?” Nick asked. Well, he jumped right into it. By asking her the “what” part, it would call into question what she would have supposedly seen.

“Well, I mean, it was really bright and hot…There was a lot of fire…” Chase said. Nick would have to coax her into this one.

“Please, Chase, whatever you saw, I need to know. I promise that I’ll believe you. I can also promise that I’ve heard weirder.” He said. Chase was confused as to why he was being so open with this. And where was Hank, his partner?

“You know how that sounds, right? Like you’re actually searching for weird.” Chase said. She was suddenly feeling a bit stubborn, and tired. She also stopped looking at him, instead she faced her abundance of monitors and watched the lines go up and down with her heartbeat. She was also surprisingly calm.

“I know, but I need information.” He said. Nick was frowning again, he seemed to do that a lot. His hair was also a bit unshapely, but Chase wouldn’t comment on that.

“What if I said it was just a strange man, carrying a torch and swinging it at me in the lake?” Chase said. That’s basically what she told Alexei. Nick looked down and then nodded. He stood.

“Then I’d thank you for your time and leave you to rest.” Nick said. He was about to go out of her line of sight but Chase spoke up again.

“Nick, wait.” She sighed. She waited for him to sit down again before staring into his face and speaking again. “It looked…like a demon…made of lava.” That perked him up. She basically explained everything about it: its height, its heat, and its piercing yellow eyes. Nick stopped frowning, at least, and that made Chase feel a bit better.

“I believe you.” Nick finally said. Even though Chase knew he would, it made her feel a bit better. Maybe in the hospital she really did seem like the naïve and confused woman. With that monster, she certainly felt like it.

“Well it wasn’t the canyon part of the hike that did me in.” Chase said, looking at Nick. “It was the evil fire monster.” They both laughed. Obviously his warning about the canyons didn’t do her much good anyway. Finally, Nick stood up. He thanked her for telling him the truth, which Chase wasn’t used to and started to leave.

“One more thing, Nick. Can you do me a favor?” When he agreed, Chase grinned. “Find out where they took Lukas? There’s a spare key to my house under the porch steps, just take him home. Please.” Before Chase heard the door fully close, Nick added one more thing.

“It’s called Volcanalis.”

When she was finally discharged, Chase was ordered to keep her arm in a sling so the skin would be able to heal. The burn was on her right shoulder. Without movement, she couldn’t use her dominate hand to eat, drive, write, or kill stuff. Chase also had to take a taxi back to her house, which she wasn’t too pleased about. The cab smelled like cigarette smoke, so Chase wrinkled her nose all the way home.

Before she even got out of the cab, Chase heard the barking. Poor Lukas was probably driving himself crazy without her. While, she fumbled a bit for her key with her left hand, the barking turned to whining. When Chase did finally open the door, Lukas was on her in a flash. She barely had time to wrestle him inside and close the door before he took her down.

Chase’s shoulder bumped the floor while Lukas started licking her face. She sucked in a breath and pushed him away before he could do even more damage.

“Damn it, dog.” She said. Lukas eyed her sling when she stood and Chase finally smiled, embracing him. He was definitely enjoying the attention. The thought that Lukas must’ve been hungry also struck her mind so she walked into the kitchen. Surprisingly, his food and water bowls were full. Chase smiled, she’d have to thank Nick later.

In her work room, Chase sat down and logged into her email. Lukas was laying down outside of the locked door, whining. She shot her foster parents an email;

Attacked yesterday by new wesen (?). Find info on ‘Volcanalis.’ It’s either a fire or a magma monster that lives on Mount Hood. I’m fine now.

Love,

Chase

Immediately after closing her email, someone rang Chase’s doorbell. She sighed. She really didn’t want to put up with any more people for a while. Really, sleep was the only thing that sounded good at that moment. Yeah, she could do with a decade-long nap.

Chase wasn’t exactly surprised to find a smiling Monroe on her doorstep. He held his hands behind his back and looked at her sling with pity. Chase looked up briefly and closed her eyes, then opened the front door a little wider to allow her neighbor entry.

“I didn’t realize you were back yet because the Jeep wasn’t in the drive, but then I heard the barking.” Monroe looked down at Lukas who wasn’t even barking. He was just wagging his tail and looking up at Monroe expectantly.

Traitor. Chase glared at her canine companion briefly, then smiled slightly and turned back to Monroe.

“I also brought this for you.” He said. Monroe brought his arms out from behind his back and set a basket on the table. It was pretty a pretty good size, and it looked like one of those store-bought “get better baskets” but without the tacky plastic wrap.

Chase took a chance and leaned over it to see what was inside. She saw chocolate, some fruit, a few scented candles, and a card. She raised her eyes. No one ever thought to get her a basket before…She was slightly confused.

“Thanks, but—” She started.

“No buts!” Monroe said forcefully, putting his palms out towards her. “Technically it’s from Nick, Rose, and me. Divided into thirds it’s not really that big of a gift.” Chase looked back at the basket. Divided into thirds, it was still pretty big. She hesitated, and then nodded, accepting the gift. Monroe sighed then and looked slightly awkward.

“Listen, Nick told me what you told him had happened.” He said. Chase frowned a bit.

“He told you…everything, then?” She asked. She wasn’t surprised. Even if Nick wasn’t wesen, she knew that he had insight into that world. Telling Monroe, a wesen whom he already lived with, just made more sense.

“Well, yes. But, don’t worry. I’ll really believe anything. Trust me, weirder things have happened here.” He said. Chase raised an eyebrow. She definitely didn’t trust him. Still, she grinned a bit anyway.

“That’s definitely reassuring.” She said. Monroe laughed and shook his head.

“No it isn’t. I probably just made everything worse.” He said.

“Well, yeah.” Chase laughed as well.

“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Volcanalis is…gone. We took care of him.” Monroe said. Chase was surprised. From what had gone down with her and that demon, it seemed almost impossible to imagine him having a weakness.

“Really? How?” Chase asked. Monroe looked slightly surprised at her enthusiasm, but shook it off quickly. She probably could have been a bit more subtle in her approach, but any new information was worth it to her. They definitely couldn’t have fought fire with fire, so to speak. Chase also wanted to know if Volcanalis was wesen, though it didn’t seem like he was. “It’s just that…it didn’t even touch me and I was put into the hospital with a second-degree burn. This’ll take, like, a month to heal.”

“Well, we…froze him with liquid nitrogen and then we…smashed him with a hammer.” Monroe said. He seemed kind of awkward about it. Chase possibly knew why. Those were slightly unorthodox methods of dealing with your problems. Thankfully, Monroe made a move toward the door.

“Well thanks for stopping by.” Chase said. She opened the front door for her neighbor and he stepped outside. “And for the, um, gift.”

“You’re welcome! Where’s your car by the way?” Monroe asked. Her driveway and the street in front of her house were nice and empty. When Chase admitted that it was still at the trailhead because she couldn’t drive it yet, Monroe was instantly concerned. He offered to go pick it up and bring it back to her, to which Chase inwardly groaned. She already owed him enough.

He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and somehow managed to take her Jeep’s keys and go back over to his place. However, it might take a few days because Monroe’s clock business was apparently booming.

Chase slept off and on for the next few days. Lukas was never away from her side, and she only managed to walk him once down the street and back. Otherwise, when he needed exercise, she let him into the backyard. Walking downstairs one afternoon after a particularly nice nap, Chase went into the kitchen to get her “breakfast” and almost jumped out of her skin.

Sitting there at her counter, reading her newspaper was George Pearson.

“Holy mother of—! What are you doing in my house?” Chase said. She had started out yelling, but wasn’t sure how good the neighbors’ hearing really was.

“Since you don’t seem to be leaving your home anytime soon, I decided that I must come to you.” He said. Folding the newspaper, he set it down on the counter and stood up. His meticulous suit didn’t even have a wrinkle. Chase looked behind her and noticed the blinds were closed to outside, so Lukas couldn’t have seen their intruder. Chase frowned.

“What do you want?” Chase asked.

“I’m only wondering why you’ve stopped answering your emails. Your parents and I are very concerned.” He said. His voice sounded mocking, even as he glanced at her sling. Chase didn’t even bother to correct him about her foster parents.

“Get out.” She spat. George shook his head and stepped forward, holding out an envelope.

“This is for your trouble. But you should know that your previous employer is very unhappy with you. I’d suggest you complete your job.” He said. Chase rolled her eyes and snatched the envelope. If it was a check, she wouldn’t pass it up no matter how done she was with this man.

“Your jobs have been nothing but unpredictable. I’m done with you and with this ‘employer’ who’s too cowardly to come out from the shadows. I’m ten times more scared of the fat cats on top whose names I do know. Now leave.” Chase didn’t want to take part in any more of this. She’d find a new, trustworthy contact and get back to work soon.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” George said. “Goodbye, Miss Chase.”

Chase slammed the door closed behind him when he left and watched through the peephole for his Tahoe to drive off and out of sight. Then, she crept outside, grabbed the spare key from under the porch steps, and walked back inside. She was sure to lock the door behind her and draw her curtains.

After a few minutes of just standing around, Chase then let Lukas back in the house and locked the back door as well. Lukas took a few sniffs around the kitchen and let out a tiny “woof.” She patted his hand and smiled a bit.

“I know, boy.” The two went upstairs. Chase wasn’t hungry anymore, just tired.

With her strange sleep schedule, Chase found herself waking up at around one in the morning. It was pitch black outside, and when she looked around, Chase noticed that Lukas was awake too, and aware. Slowly, she got up out of bed. Chase was only wearing shorts and a sports bra against the still morning air, but she was sweating.

“Something’s not right.” Chase whispered to Lukas. Chase put her hand on his head until he laid it down again, and then motioned for him to stay as she crept out of the room, not bothering to put on her sling. She closed the door behind her.

Her pistol was held in her left hand from when she grabbed it from her nightstand. Her non-dominate hand was shaking slightly, and probably wouldn’t be able to shoot accurately this early in the morning. Chase had trained with both hands, but she was out of practice with the left one.

After silently moving her way down the stairs, Chase lent against the wall and held her breath.

From somewhere behind her, in the living room, Chase heard the sound of someone cocking their gun and moving around. Chase cocked hers as well, and the movement stopped. She knew where the intruder was located, but now he knew the same of her.

“Danilov lässt grüßen.” A female voice growled. Chase didn’t understand what the woman said, but by her tone of voice it sounded like she was woged into some form of animal wesen.

Chase heard more movement and braced herself. The intruder jumped around the corner and readied her gun. Before she got the chance to aim, or shoot, Chase elbowed her in the gut. As the woman let out a breathless “oof,” she grabbed Chase’s wounded shoulder and squeezed on the bandages. Chase then cried out and kicked her in the side of the knee, causing her to land on the ground. She didn’t feel a crack, but that had to hurt.

Upstairs, Lukas started growling, and then barking, probably because of the commotion coming from downstairs.

Without wasting any time, Chase ran up the stairs. She only fumbled for a few seconds before unlocking her work room upstairs and slipping in, leaving the door wide open. It was practically an invitation.

Crouching behind her desk, Chase readied herself. She could hear the intruder bounding up the stairs and approaching the room. Using the desk to stabilize her arm, she aimed her gun where the woman would run in.

As predicted, Chase saw a dark shape in the doorway. Along with a long head of hair, confirming what Chase already suspected, the intruder also had a pair of pointed ears on the top of her head, a face full of striped fur, and fangs. Hundjäger.

Chase aimed for one shot, and hit her square in the forehead before she could even raise her weapon. Blood spattered behind her and the woman hit the ground with a solid thunk. Lukas was still barking, and Chase put down her gun to go calm him. When she stood up all the way, Chase suddenly heard more footsteps climbing her stairs. She saw the bright light of a flashlight coming through the hallway.

Chase picked up her gun once more and pointed it at the doorway, though this didn’t seem like an assassin.

“Police!” A voice called out. Chase recognized that voice and froze, pistol still raised. When Nick Burkhardt rounded the corner and blinded her with his flashlight for a moment, both stood in silence. He was the one to lower his gun and turn on the light switch.

Nick silently looked down at the body of the woman he was standing over and around Chase’s workroom with an abundance of firearms and scattered contract papers.

Then finally at Chase herself, who still had her gun raised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! New content!
> 
> For those of you who are interested, I created a tumblr page for this story! Check it out at grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com


	7. Licensed to Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

7.

One look at the panting woman in front of him and Nick raised his arms slowly. Her eyes held an adrenaline-induced panic that he’d seen many times before. Chase didn’t fully process that she had her pistol trained on an officer of the law. She was just really sick of people coming into her house uninvited.

“Chase, hey.” Nick said softly. If he was surprised or at all concerned, he hid it well. Though, his voice did cause something to trigger in her brain. Chase lowered her gun suddenly, and Nick jumped slightly.

“Crap. I have a license for all of these.” Chase said. Then, she mentally kicked herself. Why would she mention her abundance of firearms first? Nick looked at her with an “are you crazy?” expression.

“I was more concerned with the body in the hallway.” Nick said suddenly. He lowered his arms and put away his gun, while Chase placed hers on the desk.

“Right…” Chase answered. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes when all Chase could think about was the amount of blood she’d have to clean off the walls and the carpet, when she realized that Lukas had stopped barking. Heavy footfalls also were coming down the hallway.

“Whoa.” Monroe said, coming around the corner. That explained why Lukas had calmed down; he liked Monroe. The wesen was looking down at the body in the hallway, which had just transformed back into its human form. When he looked up and around the room Chase was standing in, he added another “Whoa.”

“What’re you guys doing here?” Chase asked. Standing there, blonde hair sticking to her face with sweat and bandages slightly skewed, she wanted to be anywhere else.

“We heard yelling, barking, and gun shots.” Monroe said. He was breathing deeply through his nose, like he was sniffing the air.

“Right, the murder trifecta.” Chase sighed. This wasn’t good.

“This looks more like self-defense to me.” Nick said. Chase almost laughed. Right, where was her brain? Maybe she could still play this off.

“Well, _yeah._ Isn’t that usually the case when someone is attacked in their own home?!” She was preparing to put on the hysterics when Monroe shook his head. Nick looked over at his best friend and then back at Chase.

“Quit it.” He said.

“Quit what?” Chase asked.

“That act.” Nick answered. “Have you been playing us the whole time? What’s going on and why was this woman attacking you?” Chase sighed and looked around. This was bad. She should have left as soon as she learned her neighbor was wesen. She should have left as soon as she learned that he lived with a police officer who also knew about wesen. Why did she stay?

“Nick, maybe we should take this somewhere else. Let’s go over to my house.” Monroe placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder and the detective nodded stiffly, gesturing for Chase to come. Chase crossed her arms and exited the room, but turned the opposite way down the hallway and made her way back to her bedroom. Nick seemed to realize what she was doing.

“The dog stays.”

“Hell no.” Chase replied, not even slowing down. If she was going into some unknown wesen’s house, she needed Lukas by her side. Opening the door, Chase looked down to see him lying down, stretched out on the floor. She smiled when he wagged his tail upon seeing her. With a few pats to reassure him that she was fine, she led Lukas down the stairs and out the front door with Nick and Monroe.

Monroe had made a nice pot of tea that was still steaming. None of them even bothered to pour themselves a cup, though he didn’t seem too annoyed. He was standing by a grandfather clock almost as tall as he was. Chase was sitting stiffly on Monroe’s couch with Nick across from her in the armchair. Between them, keeping guard, was Lukas.

“Miss Chase.” Nick said. Chase sighed; so they were back to square one.

“Detective Burkhardt.” She replied in kind. Nick looked a bit stressed, so she didn’t add any malice to her tone. She still needed to be one of the “good guys” in his book.

“Why did you move to Portland?” He asked. Nick was starting from the very beginning, then. She leaned back. He probably wasn’t going to let Chase go until he knew everything. Or at least, what he though was everything.

“Is this off the books? Can and will you hold anything I say against me?” Chase asked. It probably wasn’t doing her any good to be paranoid, but she wasn’t ready to willingly flush her life down the toilet.

“If I was acting as a detective right now, you’d already be at the precinct. That being said, I have my badge upstairs if I need to go and grab it,” he said. Chase must’ve imagined it, because he sounded a bit like he was mocking her. She supposed his question still stood.

“I came to Portland to get out of Detroit.” Chase answered, but she knew she couldn’t leave it at that. “Along with my rocky family situation, I was in a spot of trouble.” Nick nodded thoughtfully.

“So the first time I met you…” Nick started.

 “…you pushed me into a flower pot.” Chase finished. He couldn’t have found anything peculiar about that. It was purely accidental. At least, it was on her part.

 “Alright, so the second time I met you.” He thought for a moment. “That was after the murder of Peter Maroney. _And_ you were in the bank robbery earlier that day, but off the record. What were you doing?” Now he was getting somewhere.

 “I was following Maroney.” She said. Usually, she was skilled at being as obtuse as possible, but Nick’s eyes on hers made her want to confess. No, that was crazy, they mostly made her want to run away again.

 “So you did have a connection with the victim.” He said. Chase hesitated.

 “No, not…really. But I guess I had a connection with his brother.” She said. Chase wondered why Monroe was being so quiet, he was almost acting like a guard dog; like Lukas.

 “His brother?” Nick asked. Chase nodded.

“His name is Miles, I only followed Peter because I mixed them up and I heard Miles was in the organ business.” At Nick’s blank stare, she continued. “Like, human organs. He harvested them and sold them on the black market. Sure, he was a surgeon, but he wasn’t one of the good guys. Did you ever find his briefcase?”

Nick nodded slowly. Maybe he was making the connection for himself.

“It was full of cash, wasn’t it? I bet Miles and his brother were working together. Find Miles and ask him about his little business and you’ll see.” Maybe Chase seemed a little too excited, because Nick wasn’t very interested then.

“What were you planning to do with Miles after following him?” Nick asked. This was where things got complicated. She really needed to stop cringing before she answered every question. _Okay, honesty_ , she thought to herself with a breath, _you can do this_.

“I was going to kill him.” Chase said firmly. Monroe sputtered a bit off to the side and stared at her. Nick also looked like that wasn’t quite the answer he was expecting, but it had to make sense. Monroe left the room, saying he’d be back in a moment. This left Nick and Chase alone.

“Why?” Nick asked. Was he really going to make her explain everything like a little kid? She didn’t need to be scolded.

“Because I would be paid to.” She said. When Nick asked her who was paying her, she shrugged. “I don’t know. I pulled out of the job after the robbery and when I learned that it was Peter, not Miles I was following. Actually, whoever was paying me did have someone warn me that they weren’t happy. They probably sent my attacker.”

“We’re not there yet.” Nick said. Chase nodded and went along with his questioning. She realized that he wasn’t using normal police tactics. Usually there was some level of empathy he’d establish, or trust. This was one step away from doing whatever was necessary to get information out of her. Chase shivered at the thought of what would happen if she didn’t cooperate so well.

Only when Nick asked her once again about Peter “changing” just before his death did she simply shrug. He wasn’t getting anything out of her about wesen. At least, not yet.

“Okay then, what about when you were attacked on Mount Hood? What were you really doing there?” Nick asked. Chase looked up at the ceiling in exasperation.

“Honestly, I was only going for a hike. My landlord told me about it. No ulterior motives whatsoever.”

“Who’s your landlord?”

“C’mon. It was just a fluke that that Volcanalis thing was there.” She said. What could she have possibly been trying to accomplish by going on a hike in the middle of nowhere? It had been a nice day.

“There aren’t many flukes in this city.” Nick said. “And you seemed pretty accepting of the eight-foot-tall lava monster existing, let alone having a name.” He added. Chase groaned. This was where things may get a little weird.

“Seeing is believing, right?” She asked.

“So you had to see that your attacker tonight looked a bit strange.” Nick said. Chase realized she was digging herself into a hole. She was used to being in control of the conversation, but her act—as Nick had put it—wasn’t fooling him.

“My house was dark. And it moved so fast…”

“It?” Nick interrupted. At Chase’s black gaze he smirked a bit. “You said it.”

“I said her.” Chase spat. Nick shook his head, looking triumphant.

Suddenly, Monroe walked back into his living room. However, he wasn’t alone. Lukas stood up from his position at once and started barking at the new member of their little kumbuya group. Before Chase could silence her dog, Rosalee, who just stepped into the room, jumped out of her skin.

Her face transformed from one of skin and human-likeness to one covered in fur. Her eyes were frightened, and her teeth elongated into growling canines in an instant. She reminded Chase of a fox.

Chase got her hand on top of Lukas’ head, causing him to stop barking, but the damage was already done. Rosalee turned back, but must have realized from the expression on everyone else’s faces that she had just woged in front of Chase—a human. Not that Chase hadn’t seen a woged wesen before, but it was always a bit jolting. Would she ever get used to it? Probably not.

“Rose!” Monroe hissed. Rosalee was still staring at Lukas, who was now much more relaxed and wagging his tail. Then her eyes shifted to look at Chase, who had swallowed her surprise and stayed where she was.

Tonight had not turned out the way any of them had expected.

“Sorry I’m late…” Rosalee whispered. Monroe turned back to Chase when he led Rosalee to sit down.

“You’re not freaking out.” He observed. Maybe he was a bit concerned, though he looked excited as well. Chase only sighed, needing time to think about her next confession. She really hated admitting all of this to them. And if her foster parents found out about this…Chase shivered, but not from the cold.

Not to mention that she was telling it all to a cop. She wouldn’t give him any more names. As slimy as they were, people like George Pearson couldn’t just be thrown under the bus. Word would spread, and Chase would never find a reliable contact again. She’d be at the bottom of the ladder she’d worked so hard to climb up.

“Well, I know that you’re wesen.” Chase looked at Rosalee, who sucked in a breath. Her eyes turned to Monroe. “You too.”

“ _What?!_ ” Monroe practically yelled. “How did you find out?”

Chase didn’t say anything else, only pointed at Lukas. The dog looked up when Monroe’s gaze fell on him and he started wagging his tail. He also let out a small and content “woof” of friendliness.

“That saves us the trouble of explaining, then.” Nick said. He sat back in his chair and briefly put his hands over his eyes.

Maybe that was meant to be a phrase to lessen the tension, but Monroe and Rosalee still seemed unsure about all this. Just how much _would_ they have to explain about all this? Chase met their unsure gazes with a small bit of hostility. She was definitely outnumbered, so admitting that she only hunted and killed wesen would probably not go down very well. That being said, if Chase left something out of her story, they’d probably realize. It would be better for all of them if Nick just stopped digging.

“So Lukas…” Monroe urged Chase on to explain herself, and her dog. She explained about how he’d been trained to sniff out wesen and bark whenever he found one. Chase also explained how she could silence him. Then, she turned to Nick.

“But Lukas never barked at you. I know Peter was a _Geier,_ Rosalee’s a _Fuchsbau,_ and the intruder in my house was a _Hundjäger._ You’re not one of _them_.” Chase said. That last word was toned with judgement, but Chase only kept looking at Nick.

“I’m a Grimm.” He said.

“A what?” Chase was pulling up a blank.

“Well it’s obvious you’re not wesen, or else you’d know what a Grimm is.” Rosalee butted in.

“Grimms aren’t wesen, but their ancestors have always been hunting us. Ever heard of the Brothers Grimm? Yeah, that’s them.” Monroe added. He looked far too excited about being friends and living with a wesen hunter. Then again, he was next-door neighbors with one. Chase was excited for a moment, until Nick said something else.

“I’m not like that.” At his words, Chase tried hard to hide her disappointment. They’d definitely look down on her, then.

No matter how righteous Chase felt about her lifestyle, the high-and-mighty three musketeers in front of her definitely wouldn’t approve. On a bad day, even Chase’s justifications made her the slightest bit guilty, but she’d never forget what those wesen had done to her.

“Okay but, even so…How did you become best friends?” Chase asked. There was probably a huge amount of backstory to the entire Grimm story, but Chase could deal with just the basics. Still, Nick and Monroe shared a long look with each other after her question. She almost thought the silence would last forever until Monroe looked at her and opened his mouth.

“I was a murder suspect. Nick was on the case.” He didn’t even look the slightest bit sheepish. If anything, the expression on his face was one of pride. Nick smiled a bit too. Those smiles dropped when Chase opened her mouth again.

“Did you do it?” It probably wasn’t the most mature question to ask, as everyone in the room looked at her in surprise. Chase didn’t back down at their glares, however. You could never really tell with these wesen.

“No!” Nick was the first to answer. “Monroe helped me track down the killer and has been helping me with cases ever since. He isn’t a murderer.” Nick was very definitive in his argument.

“And if you need that much help, I’m guessing you’re a pretty half-ass cop.” Chase sat in silence for a bit, then, looking straight on at Nick who was only glaring at her for this statement. He seemed to realize though that retaliating wasn’t worth it. All her questions were answered and she didn’t want to reveal any more about herself that night.

Rosalee uncrossed and re-crossed her legs a few times from where she sat down at the beginning of the conversation. Monroe finally poured himself a cup of tea and was sipping it thoughtfully while glancing around at his numerous clocks. Nick had slumped back and was gazing into oblivion from his chair. Even Lukas had stopped wagging his tail and sighed a bit.

“What now?” Rosalee spoke up. Chase wasn’t sure if that meant they had to do something with Chase or not. Nick snapped out of his staring contest with the coffee table and looked at Chase intently.

“I’m not going to have you take the fall for this.” He said. Chase breathed out a sigh of relief. However, that feeling was short-lived. “You’re right. That wesen lying dead in your hallway was a _Hundjäger_. This definitely smells like Verrat. We can get rid of the body and clean up your hallway. I want to get to the bottom of this and I’ll need your help.”

Chase didn’t really want to help anyone. She mostly just wanted to crawl her way to the airport and board a flight to someplace as far away from Portland as possible. New Guinea sounded nice this time of year.

She started to stand up and take Lukas back home, but a hand around her wrist caused her to stop and look at Nick sitting in his chair. His face was menacing to say the least, and even her intimidation face wasn’t that serious. Chase felt her breath catch when they made eye contact. The grimm looked deadly; absolutely lethal in every way.

“You are going to keep in touch at all times. Tell us if anything seems even the least bit strange around you, and don’t do anything quote-un-quote ‘risky.’” Nick took her phone out of her pocket and started punching his number into it.

“Usually when an attractive man gives me his number he’s at least bought me a few drinks first.” Chase grinned. Nick wisely chose not to respond until Rosalee piped up.

“And then do you kill them, too?” She said. Chase wasn’t surprised by the statement, only by the tone of voice. It wasn’t quite accepting, but she was nowhere near being serious. Chase turned to look at the _Fuchsbau_ and studied her through squinted eyes. If she had to warrant a guess, she’d say that Rosalee had dabbled in some dark corners herself.

Monroe put his head in his hands and groaned when Rosalee spoke, but Nick just leaned his head back on the chair and gazed up at the ceiling for a few minutes. “We want to help you, but you also can’t just keep continuing like this.” Nick paused for a second and took a deep breath. “And no killing!”

Rosalee ended up taking Chase and Lukas over to her house. There was still a body in Chase’s house, and for some reason Nick and Monroe volunteered immediately to clean up. While Chase knew some effective ways of getting rid of evidence, hiding a body was still her least favorite part of the job. Besides, if anyone knew how to get away with murder, it’d be a police officer.

The one thing about Chase’s new babysitter was that Rosalee didn’t know how to hold a conversation that well. She seemed perfectly friendly and open-minded, but Chase suspected it had something to do with a lack of Nick’s supervision. He obviously ran this little rodeo, and they’d never encountered anyone in Chase’s situation before.

“So…how’re you liking Portland?” Rosalee asked.

“It’s good.” Chase replied. Her shoulder ached. She wanted to sleep.

“That’s good.” Rosalee shuffled into her home and disappeared down the hallway. Chase made herself comfortable on the couch and made Lukas a dog bed out of a blanket. He huffed at the poor workmanship but laid down nonetheless. Surprisingly, both of them slept well through the rest of the night.

The sweet darkness of her unconsciousness was interrupted by a fury of knocks on the door. Chase buried her head farther into her lumpy pillow and groaned. When she started to drift off again, the knocks resumed. Then Lukas barked.

This time, Chase opened her eyes, though they were still bleary, and rolled over to get a grip on a knife, gun, newspaper; anything to ward off an unwanted wesen. However, the other half of her bed wasn’t there and she tumbled to the ground right on top of Lukas, who immediately shut up.

Shaking her head once, Chase finally realized that she wasn’t back in her house. No, she was in the residence of one Rosalee Calvert and one of her biggest secrets that she’d kept since forever was out in the open.

She still ignored the knocking.

Finally, the door opened by a surprised Rosalee and heavy footsteps replaced the knocking. Chase shielded her eyes from the bright light and looked up at the intruder. It was Nick, followed closely by Monroe. The Grimm was holding a manila folder in his hand and glared down at Chase.

“Oh, I thought it was somebody important.” Chase said and dropped her head to lay on Lukas’ stomach. Her eyes were closed but she heard the paper rustling in front of her face, causing her to squint and try to make out the blurry letters. Realizing it was one of her job files, she became more alert and tried to grab it from the detective’s hands.

Nick was ready for that. He grabbed her wrist when she made the snapping moment and pulled her up to her feet. Chase was still in the same clothes as the night before. Her makeup was probably smeared and her blond hair a rat’s nest. She couldn’t not glare at Nick if she wanted to.

Now fully awake, Chase realized the exact papers that Nick was holding. It wasn’t just one file.

It was all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but hey thanks for reading! After this chapter, I actually have some semblance of a plot in mind. So, there's somehting to look forward to. 
> 
> If you're interested, go to grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com to recieve updates on this story!


	8. Batter Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: With this story I am in no way claiming the rights to the characters of Grimm. Original characters and plot devices are owned by me but anything that you recognize from the show is not. This has been written purely for entertainment.
> 
> “It’s time we settle our differences…violently.” –Nick Burkhardt, Grimm

8.

Chase’s stammers didn’t exactly bode well with the cop in front of her. When had she become such an amateur? Her life depended on this one secret that only those closest to her knew about, and the customers. Her heart raced and Lukas growled beneath her.

At least someone was on her side. 

Rosalee came into the room to break the silence. “What’s going on?”

Nick didn’t look at the _Fuchsbau_ and only frowned. When he spoke, his voice was low, and Chase could understand why he was so disturbed by the current events. However, this was more than that, Nick was downright furious. “How many?"

Chase almost took a step back, but caught herself. He was definitely trying to intimidate her and it was definitely working. She wouldn’t let him know that, though. Chase also pretended not to understand the question. He wanted to know how many Wesen she’d killed, total, over the years. When Chase didn’t answer, it wasn’t just because she was being impertinent, she also couldn’t focus her thoughts while glaring at Nick’s intense gaze.

He took a breath, but became no less angry. “It’s a simple question. How many peoplehave you killed?”

Getting a good look then, Chase could see that Nick’s eyes were bloodshot. The files he held looked to be all of them, so she was sure he knew the answer. She could also tell that he’d been up all night, studying them.

“They’re _not_ people!” Chase cried out. Reason abandoned her in that instant, and she regretted her words as she whipped her head to look at the Wesen in the room. Monroe only looked surprised, with his eyes wide. Meanwhile, Rosalee had disappointment written all over her face. It was strange, but Chase didn’t really want to disappoint Rosalee. She’d slept on her couch for heaven’s sake.

“I-I mean…” Chase paused, not exactly revoking her previous statement. “Why…how did you…?” It was phrased as a question.

“I’m a detective, Ms. Chase, and you’re not as clever as you think you are.” Nick replied. Chase bit her tongue to keep her mouth shut this time, and finally looked down, because he was right. At least she had the decency to look slightly ashamed. But, she wasn’t ashamed of her profession.

As a child, she’d had everything taken from her. She was innocent. She didn’t deserve it. Now, working the way she did, she could put an end to people who did deserve it. That was the promise she’d made to herself—only kill the ones who deserve it, only kill the ones who are dangerous.

The detective in front of her threw the folder onto the coffee table. “I have some more questions. If Monroe here even _thinks_ that you’re lying or that you’re clouding the truth in any way, you’ll regret it,” he said.

Monroe nodded along, though Chase raised her eyebrows. He definitely didn’t look dangerous. What kind of Wesen was he to tell if she were lying or not?

Chase scoffed, which in retrospect, probably wasn’t the best thing to do. “Monroe? But you’re harmless. For all I know you’re some cowering little _Mauzherts._ ”

“Then you really don’t know anything.” Monroe replied, and woged.

Chase’s stomach fell to the floor and she had to hold her abdomen as she felt her breath leave her in an instant. Monroe was a _Blutbad._ He was a _Blutbad_ and he was standing in front of her; she couldn’t do anything about it. Chase took an involuntary step backwards and knocked into the coffee table. As she fell, something glass shattered on the ground and sliced open the palm of her left hand.

She couldn’t breathe. Every time she tried to expand her lungs, the weight of a thousand tons was on her chest. Breathing out made her choke and warm tears slid down her cheeks.

Chase scrambled backwards, muttering with the last of her breath that she couldn’t control. “No. No, no, no, no.” A distant memory flashed before her eyes.

 _More glass breaking, this time a window. Those men, those_ things _had barged in, and she’d been pushed through the glass._

Chase closed her eyes, trying to keep the images at bay and trying to lock them once again inside of her. She frantically kept crawling back until her back and head hit something hard—the bricks of the fireplace.

_The concrete was rough and hurt her head, but the glass shards had sliced up her arm. The pain was almost unbearable for the eleven-year-old, but the growling made her eyes open wide to look inside the house._

Against the wall, Chase shook and rubbed her arm, feeling the slight raises in skin where she still had the scars from that day. She released another sob, but refused to open her eyes, even when she heard the sounds of three people rushing over to her.

_They were fighting. Everything was a blur, though that was probably from the tears. The fog in her mind lifted just in time to see one of the creatures lunge at her father and sink its sharp teeth into his neck. There was so much blood…_

Hands grabbed onto Chase’s wrists, though she tried to wrestle them away. One flailing kick had hit a target, causing someone to recoil and hit the ground with an _oof._ Chase thought she could hear someone speaking, yelling maybe, but her mind was far away.

_She heard the sirens just as the second creature ripped her mother’s throat out, too. Before it bolted, it turned to look at the little girl sitting outside in a pile of glass shards and wet with her own blood. She got a good look at it, but she didn’t know what she was looking at. She did know, he wanted to kill her too. But, he ran._

“No, no, no, no! The blood! There’s too much…too much blood…” Chase found her voice at last, but then couldn’t stop whispering. “I tried…I tried to stop the bleeding but there was so…much…blood…”

She opened her eyes, then, and looked down at her open palm. There was a trail from the coffee table to where she was sitting. Her palms were caked with red and she’d rubbed it all over her arms. It almost seemed like she was bleeding again, there, on that sidewalk. She furiously started rubbing her hands together. She screamed. “They killed them!”

“Chase!” Someone yelled. They began running their hands down her arms, grounding her there. At least the flashbacks had stopped, but she still could barely breathe. Without oxygen, there was an unbearable pain in her chest and her sobs had turned into high-pitched groans, trying to free her lungs.

She heard that voice again from far away, and felt something warm and soft being placed on her shoulders. “Chase. I need you to breathe with me. Can you hear me?” They asked. Chase shuddered and shook her head, eyes squeezed shut and curling further into a ball.

The voice didn’t give up, even at her trying to recoil even more. “Chase, I’m going to count down from three, and then you’re going to open your eyes, okay? Chase, I need you to open your eyes. Stay here, stay with me.” She thought she recognized that voice, and decided to do as it said. When the voice said “one” she opened her eyes.

Naturally, the room was spinning and black shapes swirled her vision. Chase’s head was pounding.

“Alright Chase, good job. Now I’m going to count to ten. Relax your shoulders Chase, and breathe with me.” The voice was closer this time, and Chase felt her hand being placed on the chest of someone in front of her. She could make out their dark hair and worried gaze. It was Nick. He was…helping her?

“Okay, Chase. Here we go. One, two, three,” Chase did as she was told, matching her inhalations with Nick’s in front of her, “four, five, six, seven…” The last memory faded from her mind, going back into the locked box where it belonged. “eight, nine, and ten.”

The thousand tons was lifted from her chest, and she breathed raggedly for a moment. Chase felt a weight on her leg and looked down to see Lukas’ head resting there. He whined softly until Chase buried one of her hands into his fur.

“You’re safe, Chase. What do you need? Can you stand?” Nick asked. Chase didn’t even feel like giving him an answer. She sagged forward and landed in Nick’s arms, exhausted. She just relished in the feeling of his steady breathing and wouldn’t let go of Nick’s black t-shirt.

“Rose!” Nick called for her attention but was very quiet at the same time. “I’ll take care of everything out here. Why don’t you take her someplace to clean up?” Nick’s arms wrapped around Chase’s waist and helped her get on her feet. Actually, her complete bodyweight was leaning up against him and he didn’t even stagger.

Chase however, was passed over to lean on a smaller frame, just as strong, but different. She kind of wanted to have Nick help her in case she had another attack like that, but Rosalee was nice…even for a Wesen.

The bathroom lights weren’t on all the way as Rosalee helped Chase strip out of her clothes from the night before and climb into a footed bathtub. The _Fuchsbau_ said nothing about Chase’s numerous scars, for which she was glad. The water was nice, warmer than the blanket that had been around her shoulders.

“Where’s the, um, Monroe? Where’s Monroe?” Chase asked. Her voice was raspy and she cringed. Rosalee didn’t look up from bandaging Chase’s hand which was the only wound she’d sustained from the ordeal, other than a bruised ego that is.

“I sent him to the spice shop for some herbs. We’ll make tea when he gets back so you’ll stop trembling.” She said. Luckily, the cut didn’t need stitches according to Rosalee. However, it did require some sterilizing gooey green poultice to be spread down its length. There was silence for a few seconds. Rosalee looked Chase in the eye, who was making a point to stare at one specific tile on the wall.

“Monroe feels terrible about what happened. At first we thought you were just startled, but that obviously wasn’t the case. He didn’t want to do that, only intimidate you a bit I suppose. We all see you as more of an unlikely ally than as an enemy, you know.

“Anyway, I’m sure Monroe will apologize when he sees you again…though I’m not sure he’s the only one that needs to.” Chase stiffened but Rosalee continued, “Something really terrible must have happened for you to go into that state, and to establish your specific views on Wesen kind.”

Rosalee was definitely prying, but after what happened, Chase couldn’t share. Instead, she scratched at some of the remaining blood on her forearm and watched as little pink trails formed where her nails had scraped the skin.

The _Fuchsbau_ sighed and stood up. “Alright, dry off when you’re ready and then we’ll talk. Nick wants to know what exactly is going on.” Still, Chase said nothing. She turned onto her side in the tub and reached down to pet Lukas, who was laying on the floor like a fluffy bath mat. He didn’t move, as if he was tired as well.

Finally, Chase grabbed a towel and dried off, dressing in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top provided by Rosalee. At least she’d be comfortable when facing her doom.

The living room lights were dimmed as well. Chase was thankful for this due to her pounding head. Monroe was seated in the armchair furthest away from the couch. She couldn’t read his emotions, but he looked stiff. Leaning against the arm slightly in front of him, was Rosalee. Nick was standing where the coffee table had been and Chase noticed it had been pushed against a wall.

She could also smell some sort of cleaner. She looked at where her attack had happened and saw no traces of the blood, and no shards of glass from whatever had broken. Chase kept moving and finally sat down on the couch, in front of Nick.

“What happened?” Nick asked. He no longer looked angry. Chase took this as a good sign, though he was still standing above her.

She frowned. “You’re the detective, you figure it out.” Nick closed his eyes slowly and held up yet another manila folder. The one with her jobs was still on the coffee table, so what was he presenting to her this time? Nick opened it and Chase saw a small picture of her clipped on the inside. However, that picture was from when she was eleven.

“Oh, so you already have figured it out.” Chase said. She shivered and was grateful for when Rosalee stood and poured her a cup of tea. It was bitter, but made Chase relax and sink further into the couch.

“Kristine—”

“Chase.” She muttered.

Nick continued. “Chase, your parents were killed almost two decades ago, but the case ran cold. Something tells me that old-fashioned police work isn’t going to find whoever did this. Your file tells me that you were deemed an unreliable witness due to your recounts of seeing ‘monsters with red eyes and fangs’ when describing the suspects. Then you were put into foster care.”

Chase followed along. She had memorized that entire passage after having one of her contacts in a police department look up her file. Monroe and Rosalee were hanging onto every word.

“Tell me; what really killed your parents that day?” Nick asked. Chase yawned and obliged, feeling fuzzy from the tea.

“ _Blutbad_.”

Chase told herself she was thankful that Nick left a few minutes after interrogating her. However, somewhere in the pit of her stomach she still wanted him near her. She felt almost…safe with the Grimm. More safe than she felt in a long time.

Pushing that train of thought of the way was difficult, but possible. Chase was able to reel in her emotions once again and simply lay down on Rosalee’s puffy couch. Maybe things would get better soon and maybe she could start anew once she got back home.

Funny, the thought of leaving Portland didn’t even cross her mind as she once again succumbed to her dreams.

More growling woke her up.

Chase’s sleep deprived mind panicked for a split second before jolting up from the nest of pillows surrounding her. She thought that there was another Blutbad in the house, but heard no more growling. Then, she looked over at Lukas who was fast asleep and fitting his large body onto the end of the couch and half falling off. When the growling started again, Chase looked down.

“Oh.” She muttered. She hadn’t had food in days.

Chase rose out of the embrace of the couch and removed the blanket that had been placed over her sometime in the afternoon. She looked at the clock and sighed, it was two in the morning. Should she just wake Rosalee and ask for some food? Maybe she could maneuver her way throughout the kitchen on her own.

Chase decided that she definitely needed to do something with her hands, if only to stop thinking about her dream.

Once Lukas was out in the backyard, Chase returned to the kitchen and started looking around. It was very nice, and full of food. She’d stacked up all the ingredients she’d needed for pancakes and a few extra snacks for along the way. She then reached up to grab a glass measuring cup on top of the cabinets.

“Chase?” She heard. Immediately startled, Chase dropped the measuring cup where it shattered on the floor right in front of her feet.

“ _Shit_.” Chase hissed and looked up at the intruder. Rosalee stood there, grinning slightly. Chase had expected anger for breaking yet another glass object or annoyance for waking her up so early in the morning, but she received none. She went to step around the glass and find something to pick it up with.

“Don’t move!” Rosalee said and began picking up the larger pieces of glass on her own. “I don’t want you to get cut again.”

“Sorry.” Chase said. “How did you—”

“Don’t cry over spilled mike. Or, in this case, broken glass.” Rosalee only smiled. “Not to mention I literally have the ears of a fox.” When she deemed it safe for Chase to walk around again, they both approached the pile of ingredients.

“Pancakes?” Rosalee asked. “You know you’re supposed to use baking soda, not baking powder.” She held up the ingredient in question.

“Oops. I must be more tired than I thought.” Chase replied.

“Let me help you.” Rosalee said. “Besides you’re my guest.” Chase passively wondered when _prisoner_ had turned into _guest_ but realized it wasn’t important. She was being juvenile.

The two of them measured ingredients, cracked eggs, and hand mixed the batter. It was looking great, but they may have made a mistake in tripling the recipe. There was _so much dough_ and it was getting _everywhere_. When one of her spoons flung some batter in the direction of Rosalee and landed in her hair, Chase froze.

Retaliation was swift, and a glob of the pancake batter landed on Chase’s chest, then dripping under her tank top.

“That’s cold!” Chase said, giggling.

Soon enough, the two of them had batter in more places than they knew they had places, and much of it was wasted stuck around the kitchen, too. They couldn’t stop laughing at their impromptu batter battle, but realized that they actually needed to bake some of it into pancakes, too.

So, they called a truce, but watched their back while flipping the pancakes.

It felt great to eat food for the first time in twenty-four hours, and Chase used her fingers while scarfing down her chocolate-chip pancakes after drowning them in whipped cream. Rosalee smiled and used her knife and fork, but didn’t say anything about her guest’s manners.

The pancakes were delicious.

“Did you sleep well?” Rosalee asked.

“No tossing and turning, if that’s what you mean.” Chase said. She saw Rosalee nod and then continued, unsure as to whether or not she should actually open up to the _Fuchsbau_. “I had a nightmare. One of the first ones since coming here. I couldn’t wake up, but I feel refreshed so that’s good.”

“What was the nightmare?”

Chase went on to explain about how she had relived the night of her parent’s murder every night for years. Recently, they haven’t been as bad. However, last night the familiar images had started to replay in her mind with her parent’s murder, but then she had taken on the persona of the killer.

“And then, once I was…done with them, I saw flashes of most of the jobs I’ve taken on before. I still killed the wesen, all in the same way, but they were all…” Chase trailed off and put down her last pancake.

“They were all what?” Rosalee prompted.

“They were all you, or Monroe.” Chase whispered. “Sometimes, Nick is the one who makes me sign the contract. But it’s not Nick, I guess it’s a Grimm because his eyes are black, and hollow, and soulless, and he wants me to kill you.”

Rosalee put down her fork as well and then walked over to embrace the woman who’d been sleeping on her couch.

“You won’t kill us. Besides, people have tried.” She said.

Chase shook her head and wrapped her arms around the _Fuchsbau_. “But I could have. Someone could have given me a contract and I wouldn’t know you and then I’d shoot you, or poison you, or make it look like suicide. I couldn’t—”

“ _Shh_.” Rosalee soothed. “Let’s just get you back to sleep and then tomorrow I’ll take you home.” She could only nod as Rosalee tucked her back into the couch like a child and let Lukas back in the house.

Chase didn’t really want to go back to sleep, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> grimmreaperfic.tumblr.com


End file.
